Understanding and Preventing Suicide Attempts among Teenage Hispanic Girls

Since 1991, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) has consistently shown that Latinas in American high schools think about, plan, and attempt suicide more than any other group of teenagers. Other research has shown that US-born Latinas are more likely to attempt than foreign-born Latinas and that even in the middle school years, around age 12 years. Hispanic girls have a higher rate of attempts than boys or girls of any ethnic or racial group. Behavioral and social science research conducted on this population shows that there are a number of factors that converge which may explain the higher-than-average rates. An understanding of this phenomenon requires an appreciation of family systems theory, adolescent developmental theory, and cultural-psychological theory. This presentation covers these areas and points for clinical intervention and prevention.