Suicidality and Reasons for Living Among a Clinical Sample of Low-Income, Ethnically-Minoritized Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States, and suicide rates are increasing for ethnically diverse youth. Reasons for living (RFL) have been found to be a protective factor against suicidality, but few studies have assessed this amongst ethnically minoritized youth. The current study sought to examine the relationships between RFL and suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempt (SA), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a clinical sample of low-income, ethnically minoritized youth (n = 191, M_age = 15.12 years). Results indicate that survival and coping beliefs may be important protective factors for SI and NSSI. Fear of social disapproval may be particularly salient but was not protective within this population. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all participants and their families with deep gratitude for their meaningful contribution to this research. We would also like to thank Gabriela Goldentyer for her support and assistance with our study’s data management.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.