Peer-reviewed article
Correlates of Suicide Ideation and Resilience Among Native- and Foreign-Born Adolescents in the United States
Lindsay Stark, Ilana Seff, Gary Yu, Mariam Salama, Michael Wessells et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined suicide ideation and resilience among 357 U.S. adolescents, including over 40% born outside the country, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa. Adolescents with greater hope and school belonging reported higher resilience and lower suicide ideation. Those born outside the U.S., particularly from the Middle East and North Africa, showed significantly higher suicide ideation. The findings suggest these adolescents face unique migration and acculturation stressors that increase suicide risk.
Key points
- Nearly 20% of U.S. adolescents have considered suicide
- Greater hope and school belonging were strongly associated with higher resilience (ß = .367 and ß = .407 respectively)
- Lower school belonging correlated with higher suicide ideation (ß = -.248)
- Adolescents born outside the U.S., especially from Middle East and North Africa, had significantly increased suicide ideation risk (ß = .186)
- More stressful life events were associated with increased suicide ideation (ß = .243) and lower resilience
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causation, only associations. The findings are based on a single study in two U.S. cities and may not generalize to all foreign-born adolescent populations.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Nearly 20% of U.S. adolescents have considered suicide. Yet, gaps remain in understanding correlates of resilience and suicide risk, especially among populations born outside the United States who may face unique migration- and acculturation-related stressors. This study adds to the literature by exploring correlates of suicide ideation among a diverse population. METHODS: This study analyzes quantitative data (N = 357) from the Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America, in Detroit and Harrisonburg. More than 40% of the sample was born outside the United States, with the majority born in the Middle East and North Africa. Path analysis was used to model dual outcomes of resilience and suicide ideation using measures of hope, school belonging, stressful life events, and being born outside the United States. RESULTS: Suicide ideation and resilience were negatively correlated (ß = -.236[.069]; p < .001). Adolescents with greater hope (ß = .367; p < .001) and school belonging (ß = .407; p < .001) reported higher resilience, while lower levels of school belonging correlated with higher levels of suicide ideation (ß = -.248; p = .009). More stressful life events were associated with suicide ideation (ß = .243; p < .001), while fewer were correlated with resilience (ß = -.106; p = .003). Being born outside the United States was associated with suicide ideation (ß = .186; P-.015), with this finding driven by those from the Middle East and North Africa region, who faced significantly increased risk of suicide ideation (ß = .169; p = .036). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that adolescents born in the Middle East and North Africa region may represent a vulnerable group needing targeted and culturally responsive interventions to destigmatize mental health and psychosocial well-being, boost existing sources of resilience, and encourage help-seeking behaviors.