When the United States says you do not belong: Suicide-related thoughts and behaviors among immigrant young adults varying in immigration legal status

The relationship between combat exposure and suicide risk in U.S. military veterans: Exploring the role of posttraumatic stress symptoms and religious coping

BACKGROUND

Rising suicide rates in the U.S. veteran population are a growing concern. Combat exposure has been identified as a potential predictor of suicide risk, but factors that may mediate the relation between combat exposure and suicide risk, and the role of potential coping mechanisms remain largely understudied. To address this gap, this study examined the association between lifetime combat exposure and current suicide risk; whether this association is mediated by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms; and whether direct and/or indirect associations with combat exposure are moderated by organizational, non-organizational, and intrinsic religiosity.

METHODS

Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (2019-2020; n = 3843). Ordinary least squares and conditional process analyses were conducted to evaluate the conditional direct and indirect predictors of suicide risk.

RESULTS

PTSD symptoms significantly mediated the association between combat exposure and suicide risk. Intrinsic religiosity showed significant moderation and reduced the coefficient of PTSD symptoms predicting suicide risk but increased the coefficient of combat exposure predicting PTSD symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

In this cross-sectional, observational study, no conclusions can be made regarding causality.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study suggest a multifaceted relationship between combat exposure, PTSD, religiosity/spirituality, and suicide risk in U.S. veterans, and underscore the importance of PTSD and religious coping as part of ongoing suicide prevention efforts in this population.

Immigration Status, Legal Vulnerability, and Suicidal/Self-harm Ideation Disparities Among Immigrant-Origin Latinx Young Adults in the U.S

Theories of suicidality typically center intrapersonal processes, with limited attention to social determinants of mental health disparities. Using a legal vulnerability framework, we examined the association between self/parental immigration status and suicidal and self-harm ideation (SI) disparities in three groups of immigrant-origin Latinx young adults attending college in the USA: undocumented students (n = 564), US citizens with undocumented parents (n = 605), and US citizens with lawfully present parents (n = 596). We also evaluated whether self/parental immigration status differences in SI could be accounted for by six dimensions of legal vulnerability and, based on prominent theories of suicidality, explored the role of campus belongingness as a protective factor. Participants completed self-report measures, and SI was assessed using one item from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, a screening tool that assesses the severity of depression symptomatology. Rates of SI were significantly higher among undocumented students (23.1%) and US citizens with undocumented parents (24.3%) compared to US citizens with lawfully present parents (17.8%). Immigration policy-related social exclusion and discrimination-mediated self/parental immigration status differences in SI. Although food insecurity did not differ by self/parental immigration status, greater food insecurity was associated with higher likelihood of SI. Greater campus belongingness was associated with a lower likelihood of endorsing SI for all students regardless of immigration status or legal vulnerability factors. Findings underscore the importance of examining self and parental immigration status as a social determinant of SI and the value of investigating aspects of legal vulnerability as explanatory factors.

Xenophobia and discrimination: Consequences for latinx immigrants and pathways to restoration & healing

The United States is often conceptualized as a country of immigrants, with an origin story of multicultural, multilingual, diverse foreign-born populations coming together to create the fabric of the nation. This narrative emerges through many domains of American society, frequently depicting an image of opportunity for all. Yet historically and contemporarily, immigration has been racialized and wrought with oppressive practices and policies. Research has shown that white Americans tend to define "American" as synonymous with "white" and subsequently perceive those who appear phenotypically not white (e.g., darker skin tones) as "less American." This phenomenon is reflected in immigration policy and lived experiences of minoritized immigrants. Vast theoretical and empirical literature documents the deleterious consequences of discrimination across domains of physical (e.g., hypertension, compromised immune functioning) and psychological health (e.g., ethno-racial trauma, depression). While it is critical to highlight the harmful effects of racism and xenophobia on immigrant well-being, the intent of this article is to also explore how indigenous, restorative healing practices may help communities and individuals heal from xenophobia and discrimination. Thus, the aim of this piece is twofold; (1) briefly discuss and contextualize the systems of oppression impacting immigrants, specifically Latinx communities in the United States, and (2) provide a framework for restoration and radical healing for Latinx immigrants.