Advances in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Interventions Among Racial, Ethnic, and Sexual Minority Populations

Bisexual people have been found to have significantly poorer mental health and unique life experiences that distinguish them from other sexual minority groups 47, 48. The inclusion of non-population-based studies in the review may explain why results differed from our finding of a higher prevalence of suicidality among females for sexual minority populations. This study provides population-based estimates of the prevalence of suicidality among sexual and gender minority populations in Canada. Accurate estimates of suicidality among sexual and gender minority populations are necessary for public health surveillance and research . Sexual and gender minority populations were especially vulnerable to economic hardship , mental and emotional stress due to isolation, and decreased access to medical services , all of which were related to an increased risk of suicidality . A 2022 Canadian study found that transgender 15 to 17 year-olds had five times the risk of suicidal ideation and 7.6 times the risk of suicide attempts, compared with cisgender (a person whose gender identity corresponds to the sex assigned at birth), heterosexual adolescents .

• Based on our study, a ground-up approach would begin with an analysis of demographics for existing suicide data to understand suicide risk for ethnoracial populations and subgroups.
• Data points include demographic information (i.e., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and geographic data) and information on behavioral health disparities and social determinants of health related to mental health traumas and suicide deaths, attempts, and ideation.
• Please name as many reasons as you can think of and number your responses.” The second item accessed cultural knowledge about resilience, “For Black youth who are having thoughts about ending their own lives, what are some reasons for living?
• Analyses of the prevalence of suicidality, stratified by sex at birth and age group, for sexual orientation were also conducted.
• Another 17.4% of the sample were asked the suicidality questions in face-to-face interviews in the respondents’ primary language.

MAHA Strategy Report

CCM is a rigorous, multi‐method, bottom‐up approach to amplify the voices of the community and elucidate culturally driven shared norms and values. This requires moving beyond individual and interpersonal psychological models to evaluate the larger societal context in which suicidal thoughts and behaviors occur. Additional phases of CCM are needed to examine the free‐listing responses reported here, generate cultural consensus models, and test those models in relation to extant theories of suicidal behavior. Future research must include a greater focus on early adolescent and pre‐adolescent Black youth. In the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 84.4% of high school students (91.2% of males) identified as heterosexual (Underwood et al., 2020). Interventions may benefit from leveraging culturally relevant protective factors, such as building a sense of purpose and supporting Black empowerment, through engaging in activities related to Black pride, and social justice.

Racialized Migrant Transgender Women Engaged in Sex Work: Double Binds and Identifications with the Community

Among American Indians or Indigenous Americans, who have the highest rate of suicide in the U.S., motivations can often stem from generations of human rights abuses and trauma. Specifically, older adult men may see suicide as a way to escape the self-perceived indignity of aging and being in control of their deaths like they were in control of their lives. Although National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month ends at the end of July, Family & Children’s Services remains committed and continues to work with other local community partners and national organizations such as  U.S.

In fact, in a probability-based study of nearly 300 public middle and high schools nationwide, schools with a greater percentage of Black students were more likely to implement a zero-tolerance policy and more likely to use excessively punitive discipline techniques (67). SROs do not effectively reduce crime in schools (60) and, instead, may increase Drexel Latinx Cultural Identity Resources stress for youth of color, who report feeling unsafe in schools where SROs are present (61). At the same time, there has been a significant increase in police presence in schools with the expansion of school resource officer (SRO) programs tasked with violence prevention and safety promotion (58). Nevertheless, a recent review of randomized control trials from 1963–2017 found associations between residing in a state with increased levels of cultural anti-Black racism and reduced psychotherapy efficacy for Black youth, but not White youth (52). We focus on the intersections of systems, both to highlight where youth may be overlooked and to suggest intervention targets to mitigate the impact of structural racism at multiple levels. As a result, micro-level interventions that address individual behavior in isolation, without addressing structural racism as a determinant of health, inevitably replicate systemic inequities (26).

The existing research, albeit scant, demonstrates that structural racism, as represented by economic inequity and residential segregation, is linked to suicide. Simply put, when we make life materially livable for marginalized communities, youth of color may be less likely to die by suicide. Individual and family-level interventions are crucial to reduce micro- and meso-level disparities, yet even governmental bodies argue for the need to strengthen economic support (e.g.,, build household financial security, broaden medical coverage, and enact housing stabilization policies) to reduce national suicide rates (95). Indeed, Black adults who report negative interactions with police (88) and Latinx youth who have experienced immigration raids and high rates of deportation in their communities (89) are significantly more likely to report medical mistrust. In a study with youths’ encounters with police involvement in the emergency psychiatric setting, participants reported negative experiences of aggression, callousness, and non-therapeutic communication from officers (87). Involuntary intervention and hospitalization, while intended to save lives, creates a paradox for suicidal youth who report feeling criminalized, stigmatized, and marginalized when law enforcement initiate contact and transport youth to hospitals (86).

Among different minority groups, such as African-, Asian- or Latino-Americans, cultural distinctions reflect the differing motivations of people to choose or reject suicide. Understanding the disparities between certain groups and factors contributing to suicide risk is crucial for preventing it. Additionally, anyone who has experienced violence, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) like physical abuse, bullying and sexual violence, has a higher suicide risk. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health to educate communities about the importance of improving access to mental health care and treatment for minorities and to help break down other barriers such as negative perceptions about mental illness.