Risk factors for suicide attempts among Navajo adolescents

Suicide was responsible for the deaths of 2,100 American youths under the age of 19 years in 1987, placing it third as a cause of death among adolescents in the United States. Suicide rates among youths have increased from 4.5 per 100,000 in 1950 to 13.1 per 100,000 in 1986. American Indians and Alaskan Natives have the highest rates of suicide, and the suicide rate was 26.8 per 100,000 among Native American adolescents in 1987. Attempted suicide rates are even higher, with 11.1 percent of males and 17.5 percent of females inflicting self-harm that could lead to death. One study showed that 23 percent of Native Americans at an American boarding school had attempted suicide. The risk factors for suicide among Navajo adolescents were assessed in a 1988 survey. The study included 7,254 students in grades 6 to 12 who resided at a Navajo reservation. Suicide was attempted by almost 15 percent of youths, including more than half who made more than one suicide attempt. The risk of attempted suicide was increased in Navajo adolescents with a history of mental health problems; who felt alienated from the family and community; who had attempted suicide previously; who had a habit of consuming hard liquor every week; who had a family history of attempted or completed suicide; whose self-perception of health was poor; or who had a history of physical or sexual abuse. Female adolescents attempted suicide more often than male adolescents. The prevention of suicide among Navajo adolescents should focus on teenagers with risk factors for attempted suicide. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)