Suicide Attempts by Adolescent Latinas: an Exploratory Study of Individual and Family Correlates

The authors studied 31 Hispanic females who were receiving mental health services; 14 girls had attempted suicide in the previous 5 years & 17 had never attempted suicide. The 2 groups of girls did not differ significantly with respect to demographic profiles, levels of depression, family type, acculturation, or self-esteem. However, as hypothesized, the mutuality between girls & their mothers was lower among suicide attempters. Maladaptive coping skills of withdrawal & wishful thinking were used more commonly by the attempters, & non-attempters used emotional regulation & problem-solving more frequently. Implications for practice are considered. (45 refs.)