Degree Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2001
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
First Advisor
Danny R. Hoyt
Abstract
Risk factors for suicidal ideation among 212 American Indian youth were examined in this dissertation. The youth lived on or near three reservations in the upper Midwest, and they had an average age of 12 years. Nine percent of the youth reported current thoughts about killing themselves. Several factors were related to suicidal ideation among these youth: self-esteem, depressive symptoms, substance use, discrimination, and negative life events. Hopelessness was unrelated to suicidal ideation, and this was attributed to the present- rather than future-oriented focus of Native people. Substance use emerged as the most important predictor of suicidal ideation, and it was argued that the strength of this relationship may have been due, in part, to variables that were correlated with both substance use and suicidal ideation but were not included in the model. It was concluded that both general (e.g., self-esteem, depressive symptoms, substance use, and negative life events) and culturally-specific (e.g., discrimination) variables should be accounted for in order to fully understand suicidal ideation among American Indian youth.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-74
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu
Copyright Owner
Kevin Allan Yoder
Copyright Date
2001
Language
en
Proquest ID
AAI3016758
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
225 pages
Recommended Citation
Yoder, Kevin Allan, "Suicidal ideation among American Indian youth " (2001). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 1092.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/1092