Suicidal Behaviors Among Dominican Youth
Principal Investigator:
Juan Pẽna
Funder: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) R03
MH085203-02
Timeframe: . 07/09-06/11
Affiliation:
Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)
Project Contact: Juan Pẽna
(314) 935-9636
Project Update as of 09/25/2009
Stage:
Description:
Since the inception of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
surveillance system of U.S. high schools in 1991 called the Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance System (YRBSS), Hispanic youth have consistently reported among the
highest rates of suicidal behavior of any major ethnic/racial groups including
African Americans and Whites. Rates for suicide attempts are higher for
U.S.-born Hispanic youth compared to their foreign-born counterparts suggesting
that processes related to acculturation or immigration may be related to
suicidal behaviors among Hispanics. However, the exact nature of these
mechanisms remains to be understood in part because of the lack of knowledge
regarding suicide attempt rates, risk factors and protective factors from
Hispanic youth's countries of heritage. Our study will increase scientific
knowledge of socio-cultural factors related to suicidal behaviors among D.R.
youth and how they compare to their Dominican counterparts in NYC. We
propose to survey a nationally representative sample of Dominican youth (N≈6,000)
attending public secondary schools (grades 9 to 12) across the D.R. and estimate
their rates of suicide attempts and ideation (Aim 1 of study). Pending
availability of funds, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has also
agreed to collect data on ancestry on the 2009 NYC YRBSS which will allow us to
identify a representative sample of Dominican youth attending NYC public high
schools as a U.S. based comparison group (N≈1,229). Comparisons of suicide
attempts, suicide ideation, and related risk behaviors will be made between D.R.
youth and NYC Dominicans (Aim 3). Aim 2 of our study is to identify risk
factors (e.g. family conflict, substance use, alcohol use, hopelessness, and
violent related behaviors) and protective factors (e.g. family cohesion,
familismo, and religiosity) for suicidal attempts among the youth of the D.R.