Protecting Against Hopelessness and Suicidality in Sexually Abused American Indian Adolescents

This study examined factors which protected against the adverse health correlates of sexual abuse in reservation-based American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents. Data from 991 females & 166 males were analyzed. For girls, the absence of suicidality & hopelessness was associated with factors such as family attention. For boys, the absence of suicidality was related to things such as caring exhibited by family & the community; no significant protective factors were found against hopelessness.