“These suicide attempts represent a major developmental struggle between the adolescent’s need for autonomy in identity and sexuality and her deep regard for family unity that comes from Hispanic culture.”
This new model, described in the article, “Why Do So Many Latina Teens Attempt Suicide? A Conceptual Model for Research,” appears in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Zayas has launched his research in New York City in partnership with several mental health agencies and hospitals.
“Another important issue that must be taken into account is what young Latinas themselves call the phenomenon,” he says. “Although it is labeled a suicide attempt by the medical community, research shows that the behaviors are seldom lethal and that death was usually not intended.
“Perhaps the phenomenon represents something else to the girls themselves,” Zayas says. “Therefore, asking girls what they call the experience may help us determine whether a particular appellation exists in the Hispanic culture. Our early data seem to bear this out, although we have a long way to go.”
Zayas developed this research model with Dr. Rebecca Lester, professor of anthropology in Arts and Sciences at Washington University; Dr. Leopoldo J. Cabassa, then a pre-doctoral fellow at Washington University and now at the University of Southern California-Los Angeles; and Dr. Lisa R. Fortuna, instructor in psychiatry at Harvard University.
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