Latine American Students
The Latine community is extremely diverse and is one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States. The Latine population have greatly impacted US society and culture through areas in art, food, entrepreneurship, and advances in civil rights. Research has shown that Latine populations are less likely than other ethnic groups to have access to quality mental health care and are also less likely to call a suicide crisis line during a suicide crisis. While suicide is a complex issue and can be attributed to many factors, certain social pressures and barriers can increase one’s risk for suicide.
According to studies, risk factors that may be particularly relevant for Latine communities include:
- Isolation from family or spiritual community
- Parental conflict / low family connectedness
- Prejudice, racial tension, or discrimination
- Poverty and under- or unemployment
- Affordability concerns
- Absence of linguistically and culturally appropriate care
- Fear of experiencing discrimination within the healthcare system
Barriers to seeking help may include:
- Mental health stigma and shame
- Fear that seeking mental health treatments will burden family
- Affordability concerns
- Absence of linguistically and culturally appropriate care
- Fear of experiencing discrimination within the healthcare system
Protective factors that can decrease risk:
- Strong ethnic identity
- Familism – strong feelings of commitment, loyalty, and obligation to family members that extends beyond the nuclear family
- Religion & Spirituality when it enhances sense of belonging and promotes help-seeking
Suicide prevention within Latine American student communities may include:
- Raising mental health awareness within Latine communities to reduce stigma
- Increase education on navigating campus mental health resources
- Fostering Latine student communities
- Workshops and trainings to enhance stress-management and problem-solving skills
- Advocate for more culturally sensitive and multilingual mental health services
References
Chang, E. C., Chang, O. D., Lucas, A. G., Li, M., Beavan, C. B., Eisner, R. S., McManamon, B. M., Rodriguez, N. S., Katamanin, O. M., Bourke, E. C., de la Fuente, A., Cardeñoso, O., Wu, K., Yu, E. A., Jeglic, E. L., & Hirsch, J. K. (2019). Depression, Loneliness, and Suicide Risk among Latino College Students: A Test of a Psychosocial Interaction Model. Social Work, 64(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swy052
Goldstein, E. V., Bailey, E. V., & Wilson, F. A. (2022). Discrimination and Suicidality Among Hispanic Mental Health Patients, 2010-2020: A Natural Language Processing Approach. Psychiatric Services, 73(11), 1313–1314. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220240
Meza, J. I., & Bath, E. (2021). One Size Does Not Fit All: Making Suicide Prevention and Interventions Equitable for Our Increasingly Diverse Communities. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(2), 209–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.09.019
Oakey-Frost, N., Tucker, R. P., & Buckner, J. D. (2021). Ethnic Identity and Suicide Risk among Hispanic/Latinx Young Adults: The Impact of Perceived Burdensomeness and Thwarted Belongingness. Archives of Suicide Research, 25(2), 253–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2019.1670766
Stafford, A. M., & Draucker, C. B. (2019). Barriers to and Facilitators of Mental Health Treatment Engagement Among Latina Adolescents. Community Mental Health Journal, 56(4), 662–669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00527-0
Yip, B., Liu, L., & Kim, S. J. (2021). Exploring cultural risk factors for suicide in Asian American, European American, and Hispanic American adolescents. Current Psychology : A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 42(13), 11039–11048. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02399-8