COMPARATIVE STUDY
JOURNAL ARTICLE
RESEARCH SUPPORT, N.I.H., EXTRAMURAL
RESEARCH SUPPORT, U.S. GOV'T, P.H.S.
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Protective factors against suicidal behavior in Latinos.

Latinos appear to be relatively protected against suicidal behavior, but the factors that mediate this effect are not known. Some protective factors may be related to cultural constructs that provide a buffer against suicidal behavior in the face of psychiatric illness. We sought to determine whether the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFLI) might capture protective factors against suicidal behavior in Latinos and non-Latinos. Patients with major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia were interviewed regarding their depressive symptomatology and lifetime history of suicidal behavior. The RFLI, which measures protective factors against suicidal acts, was also administered. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationship between suicide measures, ethnicity, and selected clinical and demographic variables. Although Latinos and non-Latinos did not differ significantly in attempter status (attempter/nonattempter), number of attempts, or suicide intent, Latinos reported significantly less suicidal ideation and made less lethal attempts. On the RFLI, Latinos scored significantly higher on subscales regarding survival and coping beliefs, responsibility to family, and moral objections to suicide, possibly reflective of cultural norms endorsed by Latino groups. Multivariate analyses suggested that although being Latino was independently associated with less suicidal ideation, other suicidal behaviors held a stronger relationship to moral objections to suicide and survival and coping skills than to ethnicity. Self-identification as Latino may be associated with espousing cultural constructs that mediate protective effects against suicidal behavior. Constructs identified in the RFLI may protect Latinos from acting on suicidal thoughts, affecting moral objections to suicide and survival and coping beliefs. Further studies to elucidate the impact of these factors on suicidal behavior and their relationship to specific cultural constructs would be of interest.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app