The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #56467

Stacey Freedenthal, MSW, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130, (314) 646-1160, sfreedenthal@gwbmail.wustl.edu

American Indian adolescents commit suicide at higher rates than other youth. Because a history of attempted suicide is a key predictor of suicide, this study investigates service use in American Indian adolescents with a past suicide attempt. Data are from the American Indian Multisector Help Inventory (AIM-HI), a NIDA-funded study of 196 urban and 205 reservation American Indian adolescents. Drawing on past empirical findings and acculturation theory, research questions concern 1) how many youth at elevated risk for suicide received formal or informal help in the previous year; and 2) if ethnic identity and service use were related. Of the 73 youth with a suicide attempt history, only 22% used specialty mental health services in the previous year, while 47% received services for mental health or substance abuse problems from non-specialty professionals (e.g., teachers, primary care physicians.) The most popular sources of help were friends and informal adults (e.g., parents, family friends), who helped 50% and 66%, respectively. Traditional healers such as shamans and medicine men helped 16% of youth reporting a suicide attempt. In logistic regression analyses controlling for location, gender, income, substance abuse problems, depression, and out-of-home placement, suicide attempters with a strong ethnic identity were significantly less likely to receive specialty mental health services and more likely to use a traditional healer. Suicide interventions frequently focus on formal services such as psychotherapy and primary care screenings, but this study illuminates the crucial role that friends, family, and traditional healers also can play.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to:
• Explicate how many American Indian youth with a history of attempted suicide received help for mental health problems from formal, informal, and traditional helpers in the previous year;
• Understand how ethnic identity and other psychosocial factors are related to suicide attempters' service use;
• Explain these findings' implications for mental health policy and planning.

Keywords: Suicide, American Indians

Awards: The Kenneth Lutterman Award for Exemplary Student Papers in Mental Health - Honorable Mention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.