title: Interpersonal suicide risk for American Indians: investigating thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness.
abstract: American Indians (AIs) experience increased suicide rates compared with other groups in the United States. However, no past studies have examined AI suicide by way of a recent empirically supported theoretical model of suicide. The current study investigated whether AI suicidal ideation can be predicted by two components: thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, from the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (T. E. Joiner, 2005, Why people die by suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press). One hundred seventy-one AIs representing 27 different tribes participated in an online survey. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that perceived burdensomeness significantly predicted suicidal ideation above and beyond demographic variables and depressive symptoms; however, thwarted belongingness did not. Additionally, the two-way interaction between thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness significantly predicted suicidal ideation. These results provide initial support for continued research on the components of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, an empirically supported theoretical model of suicide, to predict suicidal ideation among AI populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Victoria M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: O'Keefe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: LaRicka R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Wingate
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Raymond P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rhoades-Kerswill
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Meredith L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Slish
authors.affiliation: VISN 19 MIRECC, Denver VA Medical Center.
authors.forename: Collin L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult