Life is Precious: A Community-Based Program to Reduce Suicidal Behavior in Latina Adolescents

Abstract

Latina adolescents have high rates of suicidal behavior. Life is Precious (LIP), a community-based program in New York City, helps adolescents and families address risk factors facing Latinas. Participants are assessed for suicidal ideation, depressive and other psychiatric symptoms, and family functioning, at program entry and every 4 months during participation. Demographic characteristics and suicide attempts are also tracked. In the study period, there were no attempted or completed suicides in this high-risk population. Suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, anger, and posttraumatic stress symptoms decreased significantly during participation. The LIP model shows promise for helping to address suicidal risk factors facing Latinas. However, in the absence of a comparison group, participants’ improvement may be due to their engagement in mental health treatment more generally, or to the passage of time, rather than specifically to LIP. Nevertheless, as very little is known about how to address risk factors unique to Latina adolescents, these early findings may be of interest to the community serving Latina adolescents and the lessons may be of interest to programs serving adolescents from other racial/ethnic groups. Future research should develop comparison groups and test LIP implementation in other settings.

Keywords:

• adolescents
• community-based
• Latinas
• mental health
• suicide

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer L. Humensky

Jennifer L. Humensky, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.

Beatriz Coronel

Beatriz Coronel, MA, Groove with Me, Inc., New York, NY, USA (formerly Comunilife, Inc.).

Rosa Gil

Rosa Gil, DSW, Comunilife, Inc. New York, NY, USA.

Silvia Mazzula

Silvia Mazzula, PhD, Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice - CUNY, New York, NY, USA.

Roberto Lewis-Fernández

Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.