Community-based surveillance and case management for suicide prevention: an American Indian tribally initiated system

Developing a suicide risk model for use in the Indian Health Service

We developed and evaluated an electronic health record (EHR)-based model for suicide risk specific to an American Indian patient population. Using EHR data for all patients over 18 with a visit between 1/1/2017 and 10/2/2021, we developed a model for the risk of a suicide attempt or death in the 90 days following a visit. Features included demographics, medications, diagnoses, and scores from relevant screening tools. We compared the predictive performance of logistic regression and random forest models against existing suicide screening, which was augmented to include the history of previous attempts or ideation. During the study, 16,835 patients had 331,588 visits, with 490 attempts and 37 deaths by suicide. The logistic regression and random forest models (area under the ROC (AUROC) 0.83 [0.80-0.86]; both models) performed better than enhanced screening (AUROC 0.64 [0.61-0.67]). These results suggest that an EHR-based suicide risk model can add value to existing practices at Indian Health Service clinics.

Performance of Machine Learning Suicide Risk Models in an American Indian Population

Importance

Few suicide risk identification tools have been developed specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, even though these populations face the starkest suicide-related inequities.

Objective

To examine the accuracy of existing machine learning models in a majority American Indian population.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prognostic study used secondary data analysis of electronic health record data collected from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. Existing models from the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) and Vanderbilt University (VU) were fitted. Models were compared with an augmented screening indicator that included any previous attempt, recent suicidal ideation, or a recent positive suicide risk screen result. The comparison was based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). The study was performed in partnership with a tribe and local Indian Health Service (IHS) in the Southwest. All patients were 18 years or older with at least 1 encounter with the IHS unit during the study period. Data were analyzed between October 6, 2022, and July 29, 2024.

Exposures

Suicide attempts or deaths within 90 days.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Model performance was compared based on the ability to distinguish between those with a suicide attempt or death within 90 days of their last IHS visit with those without this outcome.

Results

Of 16 835 patients (mean [SD] age, 40.0 [17.5] years; 8660 [51.4%] female; 14 251 [84.7%] American Indian), 324 patients (1.9%) had at least 1 suicide attempt, and 37 patients (0.2%) died by suicide. The MHRN model had an AUROC value of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.77-0.85) for 90-day suicide attempts, whereas the VU model had an AUROC value of 0.68 (95% CI, 0.64-0.72), and the augmented screening indicator had an AUROC value of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.63-0.70). Calibration was poor for both models but improved after recalibration.

Conclusion and Relevance

This prognostic study found that existing risk identification models for suicide prevention held promise when applied to new contexts and performed better than relying on a combined indictor of a positive suicide risk screen result, history of attempt, and recent suicidal ideation.

Relationship between family history of mandatory boarding school experiences and suicide risk in US reservation-based Native American youth: a cross-sectional analysis

INTRODUCTION

Suicide is a leading cause of death among Native American youth and adolescents in the USA. A myriad of factors have been correlated with risk for suicide ideation (SI)/suicide attempt (SA), including historical trauma; however, accurate measurement of historical trauma has been inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association of family history of a negative mandatory boarding school experience with SI and SAs.

METHODS

An anonymous online survey was conducted with 288 Native youth aged 15-24 years from the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. Multinomial regression was applied adjusting for other known risk and protective factors of SI and SAs.

RESULTS

Thirty-five percent reported past SAs and 15% reported ideation without prior attempt. Of the 129 (45%) reporting a family history of mandatory boarding school experiences, 28% perceived the experience as positive while 22% as negative. After adjusting for risk and protective factors, both SI and SAs were associated with a family history of negative mandatory boarding school experiences (adjusted OR (AOR)=4.8 and 4.3, respectively) and polydrug use (AOR=3.6 and 2.3). SAs were also associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR=2.6) and depressive symptoms (AOR=3.6).

CONCLUSION

The association between family history of negative mandatory boarding school experiences and SI and SAs implies that culturally responsive interventions are needed to reduce the intergenerational impacts of historical trauma.

Characteristics of surveillance systems for suicide and self-harm: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a complex public health issue. Surveillance systems play a vital role in identifying trends and epidemiologic needs, informing public health strategies, and tailoring effective context-based suicide prevention interventions.

AIM

To identify and summarise the characteristics of specific surveillance systems and general health behaviour that include data onsuicide and self-harm.

METHOD

A scoping review following the JBI recommendations and PRISMA-ScR guidelines identified 29 relevant studies on suicide and self-harm surveillance systems. A systematic search was performed on Cinahl, Embase, Lilacs-Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, PubMed-US National Library of Medicine, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The eligibility criteria include papers that use qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods with no restrictions on time or language. The following papers were excluded regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide, as well as papers that did not explicitly describe suicide, self-harm, and surveillance systems. Two researchers independently screened the materials for eligibility and extracted data from the included studies. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine references were included, and 30 surveillance systems were identified and classified into general health behaviour surveillance (n = 15) and specific systems for suicide and self-harm (n = 15). General health behaviour systems often operate at national data collection level, collecting non-fatal data in healthcare settings, mainly emergency departments. The specific systems exhibited greater variability in terms of context, involved actors, data collection level, data collection procedures, and case classification. Limitations found by the studies pointed mostly to case definitions and data quality. Co-production, intersectoral collaboration, clear case definition criteria and data standardisation are essential to improve surveillance systems for suicide and self-harm.

CONCLUSIONS

This review identified the characteristics of surveillance systems for suicide and self-harm. Monitoring and evaluation are crucial for ongoing relevance and impact on prevention efforts.

Social zeitgeber and sleep loss as risk factors for suicide in American Indian adolescents

American Indians / Alaska Natives (AI/AN) bear a high burden of suicide, the reasons for which are not completely understood, and rates can vary by tribal group and location. This article aims to identify circumstances reported by a community group of American Indian adolescent participants to be associated with their depression and/or suicide. American Indian adolescents (n  =  360) were recruited from contiguous reservations and were assessed with a semi-structured diagnostic interview. Twenty percent of the adolescents reported suicidal thoughts (ideation, plans), an additional 8% reported a history of suicide attempts, and three deaths due to suicide were reported. Suicidal behaviors and major depressive disorder (MDD) co-occurred and were more common among female adolescents. The distressing events that adolescents most often reported were: death in the family, family disruption, peer relationship problems, and school problems. All of these events were significantly associated with suicidal behaviors, however those with suicidal acts were more likely to report death in the family. Those with MDD but no suicidal behaviors were more likely to report disruptions in the family. Disruptions in falling asleep were also associated with suicidal behaviors and having experienced a death in the family. Disruptions in important relationships, particularly through death or divorce, may be interpreted as a loss or disruption in "social zeitgebers" that may in turn disturb biological rhythms, such as sleep, thus potentially increase the risk for MDD and/or suicide. Prevention programs aimed at ameliorating the impact of disruptions in important relationships may potentially reduce suicidal behaviors in AI/AN adolescents.

Tribal Reservation Adolescent Connections Study: A study protocol using mixed methods for examining social networks and associated outcomes among American Indian youth on a Northern Plains reservation

BACKGROUND

Rich cultural and traditional practices make interpersonal relationships vital for American Indian (AI) youth. Social relations and multigenerational networks (i.e., peer, family, kinship, and community) remain a salient fixture of AI culture, survival and thriving in reservation communities. Research in other populations has demonstrated how social networks impact youth risk and resilience, but data are lacking on AI adolescent networks. Intergenerational trauma from settler colonialism leads some AI youth to early initiation of substance use and subsequent substance misuse, along with disproportionately high risk for suicide and vulnerability to witnessing and experiencing violence. Using network data to develop prevention strategies among this population is a promising new avenue of research. In this study protocol paper, we describe the rationale and methodology of an exploratory study to be conducted with American Indian 9th and 10th graders at three schools on a Northern Plains reservation.

METHODS

This mixed methods study will collect quantitative social network surveys (N = 300) and qualitative interviews (n = 30). The study will examine the extent to which existing social network theories and data metrics adequately characterize AI youth networks or how they may need to be expanded for this population. Associations of network characteristics with risk and protective factors for substance use, exposure to violence, and suicide will also be examined.

DISCUSSION

This innovative methodological approach holds promise for informing the development of effective preventive approaches to address co-occurring risks for substance use, violence and suicide among AI adolescents. Understanding processes that impact social networks among AI adolescents can promote culturally resonant social relationships that may support better outcomes for youth.

Centering Community Strengths and Resisting Structural Racism to Prevent Youth Suicide: Learning from American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

The persistence of extreme suicide disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth signals a severe health inequity with distinct associations to a colonial experience of historical and on-going cultural, social, economic, and political oppression. To address this complex issue, we describe three AI/AN suicide prevention efforts that illustrate how strengths-based community interventions across the prevention spectrum can buffer suicide risk factors associated with structural racism. Developed and implemented in collaboration with tribal partners using participatory methods, the strategies include universal, selective, and indicated prevention elements. Their aim is to enhance systems within communities, institutions, and families by emphasizing supportive relationships, cultural values and practices, and community priorities and preferences. These efforts deploy collaborative, local approaches, that center on the importance of tribal sovereignty and self-determination, disrupting the unequal power distribution inherent in mainstream approaches to suicide prevention. The examples emphasize the centrality of Indigenous intellectual traditions in the co-creation of healthy developmental pathways for AI/AN young people. A central component across all three programs is a deep commitment to an interdependent or collective orientation, in contrast to an individual-based mental health suicide prevention model. This commitment offers novel directions for the entire field of suicide prevention and responds to calls for multilevel, community-driven public health strategies to address the complexity of suicide. Although our focus is on the social determinants of health in AI/AN communities, strategies to address the structural violence of racism as a risk factor in suicide have broad implications for all suicide prevention programming.

Suicides among American Indian/Alaska Native firefighters: Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003 - 2017

Suicide is a significant public health problem in the United States and disproportionally affects male American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Suicide is particularly problematic among AI/AN firefighters who are more likely to report suicide ideation, planning, attempts, and risk compared to non-Hispanic white (NHW) firefighters. The aim of the current study was to compare non-Hispanic AI/AN firefighter and NHW firefighter suicide decedents by demographics and risk/precipitating factors using National Violent Death Reporting System data for 45 male non-Hispanic AI/AN firefighter and 588 male NHW firefighter decedents who died by suicide. Compared to NHW firefighter decedents, AI/AN firefighter decedents were significantly younger and had significantly higher odds of experiencing alcohol use problems and a recent death/suicide of a family member/friend. AI/AN firefighter decedents had significantly lower odds of documented mental health problems, documented diagnosis of depression/dysthymia, receipt of mental health treatment, or leaving a suicide note compared to NHW firefighter decedents. Results from this study may inform tailored suicide prevention and screening efforts among first responders with the goal of lowering suicide mortality among AI/AN firefighters and fire service as a whole.

Comorbidity of anxiety/affective, conduct/antisocial, attention deficit, and alcohol use disorders with suicidal behaviors in an American Indian community sample of adults and adolescents

AIMS

To study the associations of anxiety/affective disorders, conduct/antisocial disorders (ASPD/CD), attention deficit disorders (ADHD), and alcohol use disorders (AUD) with suicidal behaviors in an American Indian (AI) community sample of adolescents and adults.

METHODS

Participants were AI (360 adolescents, 925 adults) recruited from reservations who were assessed with the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA).

RESULTS

Among AI adults (mean age = 33 years), 17% percent reported lifetime experiences of suicidal thoughts (ideation and/or plans) and 14% reported suicidal acts (including either a suicide attempt history or verified death by suicide; n = 19 deaths). Among AI adolescents (mean age = 15 years), 20% experienced suicidal thoughts and 9% experienced suicidal acts (including 3 deaths). In logistic regression analyses, suicidal thoughts were significantly associated with lifetime diagnoses of affective disorder, CD and ADHD in adolescents, and with anxiety disorder, affective disorder, and ASPD/CD in adults. Suicidal acts were associated with affective disorder, ADHD, and alcohol drinking in adolescents and with anxiety disorder, ASPD/CD and AUD in adults. The number of comorbid disorders greatly increased the risk of both suicidal thoughts and acts among both adolescents and adults.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to affective disorders, both ADHD and CD in adolescents, and ASPD in adults, demonstrated an association with suicidal thoughts. Alcohol use by adolescents and AUD among adults also were associated with suicidal attempts in this AI sample. These findings suggest need for additional research and potential integration of alcohol in screening and intervention programs focused on the prevention of suicide among AI.

Evaluation of the Risk Identification for Suicide and Enhanced Care Model in a Native American Community

Importance

There are many prognostic models of suicide risk, but few have been prospectively evaluated, and none has been developed specifically for Native American populations.

Objective

To prospectively validate a statistical risk model implemented in a community setting and evaluate whether use of this model was associated with improved reach of evidence-based care and reduced subsequent suicide-related behavior among high-risk individuals.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prognostic study, done in partnership with the White Mountain Apache Tribe, used data collected by the Apache Celebrating Life program for adults aged 25 years or older identified as at risk for suicide and/or self-harm from January 1, 2017, through August 31, 2022. Data were divided into 2 cohorts: (1) individuals and suicide-related events from the period prior to suicide risk alerts being active (February 29, 2020) and (2) individuals and events from the time after alerts were activated.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Aim 1 focused on a prospective validation of the risk model in cohort 1. Aim 2 compared the odds of repeated suicide-related events and the reach of brief contact interventions among high-risk cases between cohort 2 and cohort 1.

Results

Across both cohorts, a total of 400 individuals identified as at risk for suicide and/or self-harm (mean [SD] age, 36.5 [10.3] years; 210 females [52.5%]) had 781 suicide-related events. Cohort 1 included 256 individuals with index events prior to active notifications. Most index events (134 [52.5%]) were for binge substance use, followed by 101 (39.6%) for suicidal ideation, 28 (11.0%) for a suicide attempt, and 10 (3.9%) for self-injury. Among these individuals, 102 (39.5%) had subsequent suicidal behaviors. In cohort 1, the majority (220 [86.3%]) were classified as low risk, and 35 individuals (13.3%) were classified as high risk for suicidal attempt or death in the 12 months after their index event. Cohort 2 included 144 individuals with index events after notifications were activated. For aim 1, those classified as high risk had a greater odds of subsequent suicide-related events compared with those classified as low risk (odds ratio [OR], 3.47; 95% CI, 1.53-7.86; P = .003; area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.65). For aim 2, which included 57 individuals classified as high risk across both cohorts, during the time when alerts were inactive, high-risk individuals were more likely to have subsequent suicidal behaviors compared with when alerts were active (OR, 9.14; 95% CI, 1.85-45.29; P = .007). Before the active alerts, only 1 of 35 (2.9%) individuals classified as high risk received a wellness check; after the alerts were activated, 11 of 22 (50.0%) individuals classified as high risk received 1 or more wellness checks.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study showed that a statistical model and associated care system developed in partnership with the White Mountain Apache Tribe enhanced identification of individuals at high risk for suicide and was associated with a reduced risk for subsequent suicidal behaviors and increased reach of care.

Planning for implementation and sustainability of a community-based suicide surveillance system in a Native American community

BACKGROUND

Native American youth, primarily living on reservations, suffer the highest burden of suicide of any racial group in the USA. Implementation and sustainability of culturally grounded, evidence-based interventions are needed to address suicide in Native American populations. For nearly 40 years, Montana has ranked at or near the top nationwide for suicide. Fort Peck Tribal leadership declared a state of emergency in 2010 after six suicides and 20 attempts that occurred over a 5-month period.

METHODS

We used a community-based participatory research approach for adapting the Celebrating Life (CL) program with a specific focus on long-term sustainability, which has demonstrated efficacy in addressing suicide with the White Mountain Apache. The aims were to (1) adapt the CL program intake forms through roundtable discussions, (2) conduct asset and resource mapping to identify community and cultural resources to leverage for the CL program within the Fort Peck context, and (3) develop a sustainability plan for CL in Fort Peck through qualitative approaches informed by the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool.

RESULTS

Roundtable discussions resulted in adapted intake forms that capture variables relevant to the Fort Peck context. Asset mapping identified 13 community assets and 10 cultural resources to incorporate within the CL implementation process. Focus group discussions yielded four key themes that were incorporated into a plan for sustainability: (1) strategic partnerships, (2) long-term funding, (3) communication planning, and (4) workforce planning and engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper outlines an avenue for using culturally adapted tools to design an implementation system driven by community and cultural assets within tribal communities and for integrating program planning for sustainability early in the implementation process.

Understanding opioid use within a Southwestern American Indian Reservation Community: A qualitative study

PURPOSE

Morbidity and mortality due to nonprescription use of opioids has been well documented following the significant increase in the availability of prescription opioids in the early 2000s. The aim of this paper is to explore community beliefs about correlates of opioid risk, protective factors, and behavioral functions of opioid misuse among American Indian youth and young adults living on or near a reservation.

METHODS

Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with N = 18 youth and young adults who were enrolled in a parent research trial focused on American Indian youth suicide prevention. Participants were eligible if they endorsed the use of opioids themselves or by close friends or family members at any point during their trial participation.

FINDINGS

Major themes discussed include: (1) description of opioid use and those who use opioids; (2) acquisition; (3) initiation; (4) motivation to continue using; (5) consequences; and (6) possibilities for intervention. Family played an important role in the initiation of use, but was also highlighted as an important factor in treatment and recovery. A need for upstream prevention methods, including increased employment and after-school activities, was described.

CONCLUSIONS

The insights gained through this work could help to inform treatment and prevention programs in the community. This work is timely due to the pressing urgency of the opioid epidemic nationally, and community capacity to address opioid use locally.

Trauma, historical trauma, PTSD and suicide in an American Indian community sample

AIMS

To study the associations between perceived historical trauma, current traumatic events, diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal behaviors in an American Indian community sample.

METHODS

Participants were American Indians recruited from reservations who were assessed with the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA), as well as the Historical Loss Scale, Historical Loss Associated Symptoms Scale, and Stressful Life Events Scale.

RESULTS

In data from 447 American Indian adults (mean age = 33 years), twenty percent reported lifetime experiences of suicidal thoughts (ideation and/or plans) and 14% reported suicidal acts, (including either a suicide attempt history or verified death by suicide (n = 4)). Diagnosis of PTSD and experience of assaultive trauma were each significantly associated with suicidal thoughts and acts, although assaultive trauma did not remain significant in models adjusting for gender and PTSD. High endorsement of symptoms associated with historical trauma was significantly associated with suicidal acts, and this remained significant when adjusting for gender and PTSD.

CONCLUSIONS

PTSD and historical trauma have an association with suicide and suicidal attempts in this American Indian community. Although further research is needed to evaluate the causal nature of these relations, these findings suggest treatment and prevention programs for American Indian suicide may benefit from addressing issues related to feelings of historical losses, PTSD, and their associated symptomatology.

Development of "CULTURE FORWARD: A strengths and culture-based tool to protect our native youth from suicide"

OBJECTIVE

Indigenous knowledge and practices promote American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN; Native) communities' health and well-being. Historical losses and continued oppression have resulted in disproportionately higher AI/AN youth suicide rates. This article describes the development of a new national resource guide titled "CULTURE FORWARD" for tribal leaders and stakeholders to support youth suicide prevention efforts through cultural strengths.

METHOD

The CULTURE FORWARD guide was developed over 6 months through a community-engaged process. We conducted nine roundtables and eight interviews with a wide variety of community members, leaders, and providers representing 36 diverse tribal communities and geographic regions. Participants discussed AI/AN youth risk and protective factors, successful community efforts to prevent suicide, and content and dissemination ideas. A comprehensive literature review complemented qualitative findings. A diverse and representative National Advisory Editorial Board guided content and design throughout development.

RESULTS

Qualitative data were analyzed iteratively and thematically. Across all listening sessions, culture was identified as a key protective factor against AI/AN youth suicide. Five themes related to cultural strengths informed guide chapters. Each chapter includes an introduction; how that theme helps prevent Native youth suicide; a review of academic literature, community stories and programs; action steps; and additional resources.

CONCLUSIONS

CULTURE FORWARD honors and empowers communities by weaving strands of knowledge, stories, and practical resources highlighting Native communities' strengths to protect against Native youth suicide. The guide is free online and print copies are being distributed nationally. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Community-based surveillance of infectious diseases: a systematic review of drivers of success

Introduction

Community-based surveillance may improve early detection and response to disease outbreaks by leveraging the capacity of community members to carry out surveillance activities within their communities. In 2021, the WHO published a report detailing the evidence gaps and research priorities around community-centred approaches to health emergencies. In response, we carried out a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence describing the drivers of success of community-based surveillance systems.

Methods

We included grey literature and peer-reviewed sources presenting empirical findings of the drivers of success of community-based surveillance systems for the detection and reporting of infectious disease-related events. We searched for peer-reviewed literature via MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, SCOPUS and ReliefWeb. We carried out grey literature searches using Google Search and DuckDuckGo. We used an evaluation quality checklist to assess quality.

Results

Nineteen sources (17 peer-reviewed and 2 grey literature) met our inclusion criteria. Included sources reported on community-based surveillance for the detection and reporting of a variety of diseases in 15 countries (including three conflict settings). The drivers of success were grouped based on factors relating to: (1) surveillance workers, (2) the community, (3) case detection and reporting, (4) and integration.

Discussion

The drivers of success were found to map closely to principles of participatory community engagement with success factors reflecting high levels of acceptability, collaboration, communication, local ownership, and trust. Other factors included: strong supervision and training, a strong sense of responsibility for community health, effective engagement of community informants, close proximity of surveillance workers to communities, the use of simple and adaptable case definitions, quality assurance, effective use of technology, and the use of data for real-time decision-making. Our findings highlight strategies for improving the design and implementation of community-based surveillance. We suggest that investment in participatory community engagement more broadly may be a key surveillance preparedness activity.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022303971.

Suicide Ideation and Depression Quality of Life Ratings in a Reservation-Based Community of Native American Youths and Young Adults

Suicide among adolescents is a significant public health concern in the U.S., especially within American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. Lack of quality of life (QoL) estimates for both suicide ideation and depression specific to the AIAN population hinders the ability to compare interventions in cost-effectiveness analysis. We surveyed 200 AI youth and young adults from the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to estimate utility weights for experiencing suicide ideation and depression. Our results indicate that, on a scale of 0-100, with higher scores indicating better health, the general community rates both suicide ideation and depression at 15.8 and 25.1, respectively. These weights are statistically significantly different and lower than for other cultures. Culturally specific QoL values will allow the comparison and identification of the most effective and feasible interventions to reduce the suicide burden among tribal communities.

Social Network Differences Between American Indian Youth Who have Attempted Suicide and Have Suicide Ideation

Suicide is a crucial public health concern for American Indian and Alaska native (AIAN) communities. AIANs have the highest suicide rate compared to all other ethnic groups in the United States. Social relations are a salient fixture of AIAN culture. The primary aims of this study were to describe the personal networks of AI youth that have recently had a suicide attempt or suicidal ideation and to identify key network differences between the two groups. This study uses personal networks collected among AIs living on a reservation in the Southwest. Our sample included 46 American Indians that have recently attempted suicide or had suicidal ideation. We explored social network characteristics of the two groups descriptively as well as comparatively (t-tests). Our findings suggest that AI youth that have attempted suicide nominate more friends in their networks that have used alcohol and drugs compared to the networks of AI youth that have recent suicide ideation. Additionally, AI youth that recently attempted suicide have used alcohol and drugs with their network peers at a higher rate than youth that have had recent suicide ideation. Lastly, AI youth that have attempted suicide recently were significantly more likely to have more nominated friends in their networks that they had reached out to when they were struggling with suicide compared to their peers that have experienced recent suicide ideation. These results indicate a promising method moving forward to identify unique intervention strategies that extend beyond the individual.

Protective Factors as a Unifying Framework for Strength-Based Intervention and Culturally Responsive American Indian and Alaska Native Suicide Prevention

The ongoing challenge of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) youth suicide is a public health crisis of relatively recent historical origin inadequately addressed by contemporary prevention science. A promising development in AIAN suicide prevention highlights the role of protective factors. A protective factor framework adopts a social ecological perspective and community-level intervention paradigm. Emphasis on protection highlights strength-based AIAN cultural strategies in prevention of youth suicide. Attention to multiple intersecting levels incorporates strategies promoting community as well as individual resilience processes, seeking to influence larger contexts as well as individuals within them. This approach expands the scope of suicide prevention strategies beyond the individual level and tertiary prevention strategies. Interventions that focus on mechanisms of protection offer a rigorous, replicable, and complementary prevention science alternative to risk reduction approaches. This selected review critically examines recent AIAN protective factor suicide prevention science. One aim is to clarify key concepts including protection, resilience, and cultural continuity. A broader aim is to describe the evolution of this promising new framework for conducting primary research about AIAN suicide, and for designing and testing more effective intervention. Recommendations emphasize focus on mechanisms, multilevel interactions, more precise use of theory and terms, implications for new intervention development, alertness to unanticipated impacts, and culture as fundamental in a protective factors framework for AIAN suicide prevention. A protective factor framework holds significant potential for advancing AIAN suicide prevention and for work with other culturally distinct suicide disparity groups, with broad implications for other areas of prevention science.

Community Perspectives on Social Influences on Suicide Within a Native American Reservation

Relative to the general population, Native Americans (NA) bear a disproportionate burden of suicide-related mortality rates. NA males and females aged 15 to 24 years experience suicide rates nearly 3 times than the U.S. all races rates in this age group. Although efforts have been made to understand and reduce suicide in tribal communities, a large portion has focused on individual characteristics with less attention given to social factors that may also inform suicide. This article aims to build on a local conceptual model of NA youth suicide by examining additional potential social factors through qualitative interviews. Findings from the thematic analysis resulted in the identification of seven perceived social influences: contagion, violence and abuse, discrimination and bullying, negative expectations, spirituality, social support, and cultural strengths. Public health approaches to reduce suicide should consider local social factors that resonate with tribal communities to build resilience.

Wakȟáŋyeža (Little Holy One) - an intergenerational intervention for Native American parents and children: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial with embedded single-case experimental design

Background

Trauma within Native American communities compromises parents’ parenting capacity; thus, increasing childrens’ risk for substance use and suicide over the lifespan. The objective of this manuscript is to describe the Wakȟáŋyeža (Little Holy One) intervention and evaluation protocol, that is designed to break cycles of intergenerational trauma, suicide, and substance use among Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux parents and their children.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial with an embedded single-case experimental design will be used to determine effectiveness of the modular prevention intervention on parent-child outcomes and the added impact of unique cultural lesson-components. Participants include 1) Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux parents who have had adverse childhood experiences, and 2) their children (3–5 years). Parent-child dyads are randomized (1:1) to Little Holy One or a control group that consists of 12 lessons taught by Indigenous community health workers. Lessons were developed from elements of 1) the Common Elements Treatment Approach and Family Spirit, both evidence-based interventions, and 2) newly created cultural (intervention) and nutrition (control group only) lessons. Primary outcomes are parent (primary caregiver) trauma symptoms and stress. Secondary outcomes include: Parent depression symptoms, parenting practices, parental control, family routines, substance use, historical loss, communal mastery, tribal identity, historical trauma. Child outcomes include, externalizing and internalizing behavior and school attendance. Primary analysis will follow an intent-to-treat approach, and secondary analysis will include examination of change trajectories to determine impact of cultural lessons and exploration of overall effect moderation by age and gender of child and type of caregiver (e.g., parent, grandparent).

Discussion

Many Native American parents have endured adverse childhood experiences and traumas that can negatively impact capacity for positive parenting. Study results will provide insights about the potential of a culturally-based intervention to reduce parental distress – an upstream approach to reducing risk for childrens’ later substance misuse and suicidality. Intervention design features, including use of community health workers, cultural grounding, and administration in Head Start settings lend potential for feasibility, acceptability, sustainability, and scalability.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04201184. Registered 11 December 2019.

Sustaining suicide prevention programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities and Tribal health centers

Background:

Research on sustaining community-based interventions is limited. This is particularly true for suicide prevention programs and in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) settings. Aiming to inform research in this area, this paper sought to identify factors and strategies that are key to sustain suicide prevention efforts in AIAN communities.

Methods:

We used a modified Nominal Group Technique with a purposeful sample of N = 35 suicide prevention research experts, program implementors and AIAN community leaders to develop a list of prioritized factors and sustainability strategies. We then compared this list with the Public Health Program Capacity for Sustainability Framework (PHPCSF) to examine the extent the factors identified aligned with the existing literature.

Results:

Major factors identified included cultural fit of intervention approaches, buy in from local communities, importance of leadership and policy making, and demonstrated program success. Strategies to promote these factors included partnership building, continuous growth of leadership, policy development, and ongoing strategic planning and advocacy. All domains of the PHPCF were representative, but additional factors and strategies were identified that emerged as important in AIAN settings.

Conclusions:

Sustaining effective and culturally informed suicide prevention efforts is of paramount importance to prevent suicide and save lives. Future research will focus on generating empirical evidence of these strategies and their effectiveness at promoting program sustainability in AIAN communities.

Suicide and the opioid overdose crisis among American Indian and Alaska Natives: a storm on two fronts demanding swift action

The opioid crisis in the United States has received national attention and critical resources in the past decade. However, what has been overlooked is the effect the opioid crisis may be having on a three-decade suicide crisis among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities that already have too few resources to address behavioral and mental health issues. This paper describes recent epidemiological trends associated with both opioid overdose and suicide at a national level for AIANs and the rest of the United States. We used data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to report historical trends of opioid overdose and suicide for AIAN and non-AIAN populations. We found alarming and potentially correlated trends of opioid use and suicidality among AIAN populations. We highlight both current and future research that will be essential to understanding and addressing the unique intersection between opioid and suicide risk and protective factors to inform dual prevention and intervention efforts among AIAN populations with potential relevance to public health response among other at-risk populations.

Designing a Clinical Decision Support Tool That Leverages Machine Learning for Suicide Risk Prediction: Development Study in Partnership With Native American Care Providers

Background

Machine learning algorithms for suicide risk prediction have been developed with notable improvements in accuracy. Implementing these algorithms to enhance clinical care and reduce suicide has not been well studied.

Objective

This study aims to design a clinical decision support tool and appropriate care pathways for community-based suicide surveillance and case management systems operating on Native American reservations.

Methods

Participants included Native American case managers and supervisors (N=9) who worked on suicide surveillance and case management programs on 2 Native American reservations. We used in-depth interviews to understand how case managers think about and respond to suicide risk. The results from interviews informed a draft clinical decision support tool, which was then reviewed with supervisors and combined with appropriate care pathways.

Results

Case managers reported acceptance of risk flags based on a predictive algorithm in their surveillance system tools, particularly if the information was available in a timely manner and used in conjunction with their clinical judgment. Implementation of risk flags needed to be programmed on a dichotomous basis, so the algorithm could produce output indicating high versus low risk. To dichotomize the continuous predicted probabilities, we developed a cutoff point that favored specificity, with the understanding that case managers’ clinical judgment would help increase sensitivity.

Conclusions

Suicide risk prediction algorithms show promise, but implementation to guide clinical care remains relatively elusive. Our study demonstrates the utility of working with partners to develop and guide the operationalization of risk prediction algorithms to enhance clinical care in a community setting.

"Empowering Our People": Impact of a Culturally Adapted Evidence-Based Intervention on Sexually Transmitted Infection Risks Among Native Americans With Binge Substance Use

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to evaluate a culturally adapted evidence-based intervention called EMPWR (Educate, Motivate, Protect, Wellness and Respect) for impacts on sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and sexual health risk behaviors.

METHODS

We enrolled Native American adults with recent binge substance use from a rural, reservation community in the Southwest into a 1:1 randomized controlled trial conducted on July 2015 to June 2019. All participants were offered non-clinic-based self-administered STI screening. Data were collected via self-report at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months after the intervention. Baseline and end line data are presented.

RESULTS

Three hundred one participants were enrolled and had a mean age of 33.8 years; 46.5% of the sample were female, and 9.1% were employed at baseline. EMPWR participants were more likely to complete STI self-screening than control participants (38.2% vs. 23.8%, P = 0.0275). EMPWR participants reported fewer unprotected sex acts in the past 3 months (9.3 vs. 16.0, P = 0.001) and were more likely to refuse sex if their partner was not tested (23.6% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.049). The between-group difference in STI positivity 1 year after study completion was nearing statistical significance (intervention: 39.5% vs. control: 59.6%, P = 0.0575).

CONCLUSIONS

The culturally adapted evidence-based intervention, EMPWR, increased uptake of STI screening and refusal of sex if partner was not STI tested and decreased the frequency of unprotected sex acts among Native American adults with recent binge substance use living on a rural reservation. Future research is needed to examine EMPWR impacts among other Native American subgroups and its potential for advancing sexual health equity in this high-priority population.

Ascertainment of Patient Suicides by Veterans Affairs Facilities and Associations With Veteran, Clinical, and Suicide Characteristics

Objectives. To evaluate the sensitivity of health care facility documentation of suicide deaths among US veterans with recent Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care and assess variation in identification by veteran, clinical, and suicide death characteristics. Methods. Cross-sectional analyses included 11 148 veterans who died by suicide in 2013 to 2017, per National Death Index death certificate information, with VHA encounters in the year of death or the previous year. Facility suicide ascertainment was assessed per site reports in the VHA Suicide Prevention Applications Network. Bivariate and multivariable analyses assessed ascertainment by decedent demographic, clinical, utilization, and method of suicide characteristics. Results. Site reports identified 3667 suicide decedents (32.9%). Veteran suicide decedents identified by facilities were more likely to be younger and with clinical risk factors and more recent VHA encounters. Suicide deaths involving poisoning were less likely to be identified than deaths involving other methods. Conclusions. VHA facility ascertainment of suicide deaths among recent patients was neither comprehensive nor representative. Findings will inform efforts to enhance facility suicide surveillance and veteran suicide prevention.

Empowering our people: Predictors of retention in an STI risk reduction program among rural Native Americans with binge substance use

PURPOSE

Substance use and sexual risk-taking have been shown to co-occur. Programs focused on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) reduction may benefit substance-using, particularly binge substance-using, adults. This is especially true for rural Native American communities who endure sexual and substance use disparities and have few STI risk reduction programs. This study explores factors predicting retention in an STI risk reduction program among rural Native adults engaged in binge substance use.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 150 Native adults ages 18-55 participating in an evaluation of "EMPWR," a 2-session STI risk reduction program in a rural, reservation-based community. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between independent variables and program completion across demographics, sexual behaviors, substance use behaviors, mental health, recent health care utilization, and perceived enculturation and discrimination.

FINDINGS

The sample was 49.2% (n = 59) female with a mean age of 33.61 years (SD = 8.25). Twenty-six completed only the first EMPWR session, 94 completed both EMPWR sessions, and 30 were randomized but completed 0 sessions. Being married/cohabiting (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 6.40, P = .0063) and living with an older generation (AOR = 4.86, P = .0058) were significantly associated with higher odds of completing EMPWR.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide insight on factors driving retention of Natives with recent binge substance use in STI risk reduction programming. An important contribution to Native health literature is that living with an older generation positively predicted EMPWR program completion, suggesting that STI risk reduction programs should harness the strength of families to ensure program attendance and optimize impacts in rural reservation contexts.

Reaching Those at Highest Risk for Suicide: Development of a Model Using Machine Learning Methods for use With Native American Communities

OBJECTIVE

Suicide prevention is a major priority in Native American communities. We used machine learning with community-based suicide surveillance data to better identify those most at risk.

METHOD

This study leverages data from the Celebrating Life program operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona and in partnership with Johns Hopkins University. We examined N = 2,390 individuals with a validated suicide-related event between 2006 and 2017. Predictors included 73 variables (e.g., demographics, educational history, past mental health, and substance use). The outcome was suicide attempt 6, 12, and 24 months after an initial event. We tested four algorithmic approaches using cross-validation.

RESULTS

Area under the curves ranged from AUC = 0.81 (95% CI ± 0.08) for the decision tree classifiers to AUC = 0.87 (95% CI ± 0.04) for the ridge regression, results that were considerably higher than a past suicide attempt (AUC = 0.57; 95% CI ± 0.08). Selecting a cutoff value based on risk concentration plots yielded 0.88 sensitivity, 0.72 specificity, and a positive predictive value of 0.12 for detecting an attempt 24 months postindex event.

CONCLUSION

These models substantially improved our ability to determine who was most at risk in this community. Further work is needed including developing clinical guidance and external validation.

Evidence for suicide prevention strategies with populations in displacement: a systematic review

Little is known about effective strategies to reduce rates of suicide among refugees and other displaced populations. This review aims to synthesise and assess the evidence base for suicide prevention and response programmes in refugee settings. We conducted a systematic review from peer-reviewed literature databases (five databases) and grey literature sources of literature published prior to November 27, 2017. We identified eight records (six peer-reviewed articles and two grey literature reports) that met our inclusion criteria. None of the eight records provided conclusive evidence of effectiveness. Five records had an unclear level of evidence and three records were potentially promising or promising. Most of the studies reviewed utilised multiple synergistic strategies. The most rigorous study showed the effectiveness of Brief Intervention and Contact and Safety planning. There is limited evidence of the effectiveness of other suicide prevention strategies for these groups. Future studies should attempt to better understand the impact of suicide prevention strategies, and explicitly unpack the individual and synergistic effects of multiple-strategies on suicide-related outcomes. Evidence from this review supports the use of Brief Intervention and Contact type interventions, but more research is needed to replicate findings particularly among populations in displacement.

Employing a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) to evaluate the impact of brief risk and protective factor prevention interventions for American Indian Youth Suicide

BACKGROUND

This study is built on a long-standing research partnership between the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health and the White Mountain Apache Tribe to identify effective interventions to prevent suicide and promote resilience among American Indian (AI) youth. The work is founded on a tribally-mandated, community-based suicide surveillance system with case management by local community mental health specialists (CMHSs) who strive to connect at-risk youth to treatment and brief, adjunctive interventions piloted in past research.

METHODS

Our primary aim is to evaluate which brief interventions, alone or in combination, have the greater effect on suicide ideation (primary outcome) and resilience (secondary outcome) among AI youth ages 10-24 ascertained for suicide-related behaviors by the tribal surveillance system. We are using a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial with stratified assignment based on age and suicidal-behavior type, and randomizing N = 304 youth. Brief interventions are delivered by AI CMHSs, or by Elders with CMHS support, and include: 1) New Hope, an evidence-based intervention to reduce immediate suicide risk through safety planning, emotion regulation skills, and facilitated care connections; and 2) Elders' Resilience, a culturally-grounded intervention to promote resilience through connectedness, self-esteem and cultural identity/values. The control condition is Optimized Case Management, which all study participants receive. We hypothesize that youth who receive: a) New Hope vs. Optimized Case Management will have significant reductions in suicide ideation; b) Elders' Resilience vs. Optimized Case Management will have significant gains in resilience; c) New Hope followed by Elders' Resilience will have the largest improvements on suicide ideation and resilience; and d) Optimized Case Management will have the weakest effects of all groups. Our secondary aim will examine mediators and moderators of treatment effectiveness and sequencing.

DISCUSSION

Due to heterogeneity of suicide risk/protective factors among AI youth, not all youth require the same types of interventions. Generating evidence for what works, when it works, and for whom is paramount to AI youth suicide prevention efforts, where rates are currently high and resources are limited. Employing Native paraprofessionals is a means of task-shifting psychoeducation, culturally competent patient support and continuity of care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials NCT03543865, June 1, 2018.

With a Spirit that Understands: Reflections on a Long-term Community Science Initiative to End Suicide in Alaska

This retrospective analysis of a long-term community-based participatory research (CBPR) process spans over two decades of work with Alaska Native communities. A call to action from Alaska Native leadership to create more effective strategies to prevent and treat youth suicide and alcohol misuse risk initiated a response from university researchers. This CBPR process transformed into a collaborative effort to indigenously drive and develop solutions through research. The People Awakening project started our team on this translational and transformational pathway through community intervention science in the Central Yup'ik region of Alaska. We examine more deeply the major episodes and their successes and struggles in maintaining a long-term research relationship between university researchers and members of Yup'ik Alaska Native communities. We explore ways that our CBPR relationship has involved negotiation and engagement with power and praxis, to deepen and focus attention to knowledge systems and relational elements. This paper examines these deeper, transformative elements of our CBPR relationship that spans histories, cultures, and systems. Our discussion shares vignettes from academic and community perspectives to describe process in a unique collaboration, reaching to sometimes touch upon rare ground in emotions, tensions, and triumphs over the course of a dozen grants and twice as many years. We conclude by noting how there are points where, in a long-term CBPR relationship, transition out of emergence into coalescing and transformation can occur.

"Let our Apache Heritage and Culture Live on Forever and Teach the Young Ones": Development of The Elders' Resilience Curriculum, an Upstream Suicide Prevention Approach for American Indian Youth

The White Mountain Apache Tribe have developed an innovative curriculum that connects youth through Elders to their heritage, traditions, and culture, which has been proven to be a protective factor for native Americans. The development process took 4½ years and included community stakeholder buy-in, Elders' Council group formation, extensive formative work to identify content, iterative feedback between curriculum writers and Elders, and Elder training prior to implementation. Members of the Elders' Council have been visiting the local schools to teach youth about the Apache culture, language, and way of life since February 2014 reaching over 1000 youth. This approach demonstrates a promising upstream suicide prevention strategy. We discuss the process of development, implementation, and lessons learned, as this curriculum has potential for adaptation by other Indigenous communities.

No Indians to Spare: Depression and Suicide in Indigenous American Children and Youth

This article summarizes current knowledge and consensus about depression and suicide among the indigenous young people of the United States. American Indians represent more than 500 tribes and also vary among settings-reservations, urban, suburban, and rural-but as a group, remain at high risk for suicide and possibly for depressive syndromes. Particular risk factors and correlates, as well as approaches to treatment, are discussed.

Community-based surveillance: A scoping review

Background

Involving community members in identifying and reporting health events for public health surveillance purposes, an approach commonly described as community-based surveillance (CBS), is increasingly gaining interest. We conducted a scoping review to list terms and definitions used to characterize CBS, to identify and summarize available guidance and recommendations, and to map information on past and existing in-country CBS systems.

Methods

We searched eight bibliographic databases and screened the worldwide web for any document mentioning an approach in which community members both collected and reported information on health events from their community for public health surveillance. Two independent reviewers performed double blind screening and data collection, any discrepancy was solved through discussion and consensus.

Findings

From the 134 included documents, several terms and definitions for CBS were retrieved. Guidance and recommendations for CBS were scattered through seven major guides and sixteen additional documents. Seventy-nine unique CBS systems implemented since 1958 in 42 countries were identified, mostly implemented in low and lower-middle income countries (79%). The systems appeared as fragmented (81% covering a limited geographical area and 70% solely implemented in a rural setting), vertical (67% with a single scope of interest), and of limited duration (median of 6 years for ongoing systems and 2 years for ended systems). Collection of information was mostly performed by recruited community members (80%).

Interpretation

While CBS has already been implemented in many countries, standardization is still required on the term and processes to be used. Further research is needed to ensure CBS integrates effectively into the overall public health surveillance system.

Understanding Indigenous Suicide Through a Theoretical Lens: A Review of General, Culturally-Based, and Indigenous Frameworks

Many American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities throughout North America continue to experience the devastating impact of suicide. Theoretical explanations of suicide from a psychological, sociological, cultural, and Indigenous perspective all differ in focus and applicability to AI/AN communities. These diverse theoretical frameworks and models are presented herein to examine the potential applicability, strengths, and limitations in understanding AI/AN suicide. In providing these perspectives, continued discussions and empirical examinations of AI/AN suicide can guide informative, culturally-informed suicide prevention and intervention efforts.

Tracking progress in suicide prevention in Indigenous communities: a challenge for public health surveillance in Canada

Indigenous peoples in Canada experience disproportionate rates of suicide compared to non-Indigenous populations. Indigenous communities and organizations have designed local and regional approaches to prevention, and the federal government has developed a national suicide prevention framework. However, public health systems continue to face challenges in monitoring the population burden of suicide and suicidal behaviour. National health data systems lack Indigenous identifiers, do not capture data from some regions, and do not routinely engage Indigenous communities in data governance. These challenges hamper efforts to detect changes in population-level outcomes and assess the impact of suicide prevention activities. Consequently, this limits the ability to achieve public health prevention goals and reduce suicide rates and rate inequities.

This paper provides a critical analysis of the challenges related to suicide surveillance in Canada and assesses the strengths and limitations of existing data infrastructure for monitoring outcomes in Indigenous communities. To better understand these challenges, we discuss the policy context for suicide surveillance and examine the survey and administrative data sources that are commonly used in public health surveillance. We then review recent data on the epidemiology of suicide and suicidal behaviour among Indigenous populations, and identify challenges related to national surveillance.

To enhance capacity for suicide surveillance, we propose strategies to better track progress in Indigenous suicide prevention. Specifically, we recommend establishing an independent community and scientific governing council, integrating Indigenous identifiers into population health datasets, increasing geographic coverage, improving suicide data quality, comprehensiveness, and timeliness, and developing a platform for making suicide data accessible to all stakeholders. Overall, the strategies we propose can build on the strengths of the existing national suicide surveillance system by adopting a collaborative and inclusive governance model that recognizes the stake Indigenous communities have in suicide prevention.

Suicide in Nepal: Qualitative Findings from a Modified Case-Series Psychological Autopsy Investigation of Suicide Deaths

South Asia accounts for the majority of the world's suicide deaths, but typical psychiatric or surveillance-based research approaches are limited due to incomplete vital surveillance. Despite rich anthropological scholarship in the region, such work has not been used to address public health gaps in surveillance and nor inform prevention programs designed based on surveillance data. Our goal was to leverage useful strategies from both public health and anthropological approaches to provide rich narrative reconstructions of suicide events, told by family members or loved ones of the deceased, to further contextualize the circumstances of suicide. Specifically, we sought to untangle socio-cultural and structural patterns in suicide cases to better inform systems-level surveillance strategies and salient community-level suicide prevention opportunities. Using a mixed-methods psychological autopsy approach for cross-cultural research (MPAC) in both urban and rural Nepal, 39 suicide deaths were examined. MPAC was used to document antecedent events, characteristics of persons completing suicide, and perceived drivers of each suicide. Patterns across suicide cases include (1) lack of education (72% of cases); (2) life stressors such as poverty (54%), violence (61.1%), migrant labor (33% of men), and family disputes often resulting in isolation or shame (56.4%); (3) family histories of suicidal behavior (62%), with the majority involving an immediate family member; (4) gender differences: female suicides were attributed to hopeless situations, such as spousal abuse, with high degrees of social stigma. In contrast, male suicides were most commonly associated with drinking and resulted from internalized stigma, such as financial failure or an inability to provide for their family; (5) justifications for suicide were attributions to 'fate' and personality characteristics such as 'stubbornness' and 'egoism'; (5) power dynamics and available agency precluded some families from disputing the death as a suicide and also had implications for the condemnation or justification of particular suicides. Importantly, only 1 out of 3 men and 1 out of 6 women had any communication to family members about suicidal ideation prior to completion. Findings illustrate the importance of MPAC methods for capturing cultural narratives evoked after completed suicides, recognizing culturally salient warning signs, and identifying potential barriers to disclosure and justice seeking by families. These findings elucidate how suicide narratives are structured by family members and reveal public health opportunities for creating or supplementing mortality surveillance, intervening in higher risk populations such as survivors of suicide, and encouraging disclosure.

Exploration of Pathways to Binge Drinking Among American Indian Adolescents

Binge drinking is a serious public health problem among American Indian adolescents, yet few theoretical models specific to this population and type of problematic drinking have been tested. The White Mountain Apache Tribe has begun surveillance of binge drinking and a related line of research to inform tailored prevention efforts. The goal of this paper is to use structural equation modeling to understand the relationships between different individual, family, peer, and cultural factors that predict or protect against binge drinking behavior among Apache adolescents ages 10-19 years old. A cross-sectional case-control study was completed with N = 68 Apache adolescents who required medical attention due to a recent binge event (past 90 days) and N = 55 controls with no lifetime history of binge drinking. The hypothesized model was estimated with Mplus using the WLSMV robust least squares estimator. In the final model, stressful life events were related to family functioning and peer relationships. In turn, family functioning affected peer relationships and adolescent impulsivity, which were both associated with greater risk of binge drinking. The path between peer relationships and having engaged in binge drinking was statistically significant for those expressing lower cultural identity, but not for those reporting higher cultural identity. Findings suggest preventive interventions should emphasize teaching coping skills to manage life stressors and handle impulsivity, strengthening families, and changing peer dynamics with social network-based approaches as well as social skill training. The model highlights the potentially important role of culture in strengthening positive peer relationships to reduce binge drinking risk.

A Public Health Approach in Responding to the Spread of Helium Suicide in Hong Kong

Abstract. Background: The use of the helium suicide method has been increasing in popularity in Hong Kong since 2012. We have learned a valuable lesson in curbing the spread of charcoal burning (CB) suicide in the past 15 years and hope to prevent the helium suicide method from taking off in the community. Aims: To document what actions have been taken to contain the spread of the helium suicide method and review the preliminary impact of these actions. Method: We adopted a public health approach by engaging stakeholders from multiple sectors, including the police force, the fire services department, coroners, pathologists, mass media, and online media outlets. Results: A monitoring system was established by compiling data extracted from news reports, coroners' reports, and police investigations. Risk and protective factors were identified. Intervention strategies were developed to strengthen protective factors and minimize risk factors. This novel suicide method has not spread as rapidly as the CB suicide method. The preliminary outcomes suggest our actions to be effective. Limitations: The count of helium suicides in 2015 might be low. The impacts of the interventions are only estimated and require additional empirical verifications. Conclusion: The public health approach of engaging multiple partners in the early phase of a potential epidemic can be a good guide to meeting the challenges posed by any new suicide methods that emerge in the future.

Indigenous Adolescents' Suicidal Behaviors and Risk Factors: Evidence from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey

The study sought to examine indigenous adolescents' suicidal behaviors and risk factors in a nationally representative sample and explore potential causes of disparities. The study analyzed the 1991-2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey National Combined Datasets. Suicidal behavior outcomes included suicide consideration, planning, and attempts during the past 12 months. Logit regressions were used to estimate the effects of potential suicide risk factors on these suicidal behaviors. The results showed that a high percentage of indigenous adolescents exhibited suicidal behaviors (consideration: 24.6 %; planning: 20.7 %; attempts: 16.2 %). After adjusting for risk factors, indigenous adolescents were no more likely than other adolescents to consider or plan for suicide (consideration: OR 1.18, CI 0.96-1.45, p = 0.125; planning: OR 1.16, CI 0.95-1.42, p = 0.156); however, they remained significantly more likely to have made suicide attempts (OR 1.73, CI 1.32-2.26, p < 0.001). Disparities in adolescent suicidal behaviors could be explained by the heterogeneous prevalence of suicidal risk factors across different races/ethnicities.

Decreases in Suicide Deaths and Attempts Linked to the White Mountain Apache Suicide Surveillance and Prevention System, 2001-2012

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the impact of a comprehensive, multitiered youth suicide prevention program among the White Mountain Apache of Arizona since its implementation in 2006.

METHODS

Using data from the tribally mandated Celebrating Life surveillance system, we compared the rates, numbers, and characteristics of suicide deaths and attempts from 2007 to 2012 with those from 2001 to 2006.

RESULTS

The overall Apache suicide death rates dropped from 40.0 to 24.7 per 100 000 (38.3% decrease), and the rate among those aged 15 to 24 years dropped from 128.5 to 99.0 per 100 000 (23.0% decrease). The annual number of attempts also dropped from 75 (in 2007) to 35 individuals (in 2012). National rates remained relatively stable during this time, at 10 to 13 per 100 000.

CONCLUSIONS

Although national rates remained stable or increased slightly, the overall Apache suicide death rates dropped following the suicide prevention program. The community surveillance system served a critical role in providing a foundation for prevention programming and evaluation.

Risk and protective factors for heavy binge alcohol use among American Indian adolescents utilizing emergency health services

BACKGROUND

American Indian (AI) adolescents are disproportionately burdened by alcohol abuse and heavy binge use, often leading to problematic drinking in adulthood. However, many AI communities also have large proportions of adults who abstain from alcohol.

OBJECTIVE

To understand these concurrent and divergent patterns, we explored the relationship between risk and protective factors for heavy binge alcohol use among a reservation-based sample of AI adolescents.

METHODS

Factors at individual, peer, family, and cultural/community levels were examined using a cross-sectional case-control study design. Cases were adolescents with recent heavy binge alcohol use that resulted in necessary medical care. Controls had no lifetime history of heavy binge alcohol use. 68 cases and 55 controls were recruited from emergency health services visits. Participants were 50% male; average age 15.4 years old, range 10 to 19. Independent variables were explored using logistic regression; those statistically significant were combined into a larger multivariate model.

RESULTS

Exploratory analyses showed adolescents who were aggressive, impulsive, had deviant peers, poor family functioning or more people living at home were at greater risk for heavy binge alcohol use. Protective factors included attending school, family closeness, residential stability, social problem-solving skills, having traditional AI values and practices, and strong ethnic identity. Confirmatory analysis concluded that school attendance and residential stability reduce the probability of heavy binge alcohol use, even among those already at low risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings deepen the understanding of AI adolescent heavy binge alcohol use and inform adolescent intervention development fostering trajectories to low-risk drinking and abstinence.

Testing the efficacy of a brief sexual risk reduction intervention among high-risk American Indian adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

American Indian adults are more likely to experience co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders than adults of other racial/ethnic groups and are disproportionately burdened by the most common sexually transmitted infections, namely chlamydia and gonorrhea. Several behavioral interventions are proven efficacious in lowering risk for sexually transmitted infection in various populations and, if adapted to address barriers experienced by American Indian adults who suffer from mental health and substance use problems, may be useful for dissemination in American Indian communities. The proposed study aims to examine the efficacy of an adapted evidence-based intervention to increase condom use and decrease sexual risk-taking and substance use among American Indian adults living in a reservation-based community in the Southwestern United States.

Methods/Design

The proposed study is a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of an adapted evidence-based intervention compared to a control condition. Participants will be American Indian adults ages 18–49 years old who had a recent episode of binge substance use and/or suicide ideation. Participants will be randomized to the intervention, a two-session risk-reduction counseling intervention or the control condition, optimized standard care. All participants will be offered a self-administered sexually transmitted infection test. Participants will complete assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months follow-up. The primary outcome measure is condom use at last sex.

Discussion

This is one of the first randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy of an adapted evidence-based intervention for reducing sexual risk behaviors among AI adults with substance use and mental health problems. If proven successful, there will be an efficacious program for reducing risk behaviors among high-risk adults that can be disseminated in American Indian communities as well as other rural and under-resourced health systems.

Trial Registration

Clinical Trials NCT02513225

Exploring risk and protective factors with a community sample of American Indian adolescents who attempted suicide

American Indian adolescents are at disproportionate risk for suicide, and community-based studies of this population, which allow a deeper understanding of risks and resilience to inform interventions, are rare. This is a cross-sectional study of N = 71 Apache adolescents. Strengths include the role of the community and American Indian paraprofessionals in the design, implementation, and interpretation of findings. Participants were M = 16.0 years old, 65% female, and 69% multiple attempters. Risks included suicidal behavior among peers and family (68%), caregivers with substance problems (62%), and participant substance use history, namely alcohol (91%) and marijuana (88%). Areas of resiliency included lower depression scores (M = 23.1) and cultural activity participation. A multi-tiered intervention at individual, family, and community levels is needed.