Semester of Graduation

Spring 2025

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Youth suicide is a complex, multi-faceted human phenomenon that has no singular cause but instead is theorized to be a result of an interplay of psychological, biological, and social risk and protective factors. To best identify youth suicide risk and possible avenues for intervention, a social-ecological model approach may prove beneficial. As community-level risk factors (i.e., social determinants of health (SDOH)) have shown to impact health outcomes, it is important to understand the association between community-level risk and youth suicide-related behaviors. Utilizing a network analytic approach, this study developed an estimated partial correlation network to understand the relationship between youth suicidal ideation/suicide attempts via youth suicide screens (N = 17,018), and SDOH at the neighborhood-level using census tract (N = 608) data indicators of Houston, TX. Results of the developed network indicated null findings relating SDOH data of census tracts to youth suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Such results possibly indicate that interventions for suicide targeting broad social factors may not be as effective as previously considered. Additionally, results suggest that neighborhood-level SDOH factors may not provide researchers with significant insight into relationships with youth suicide risk. Future research and intervention efforts should consider shifting to targeting factors that may be underlying and contributing to the presence of youth suicide risk in these areas.

Date

12-27-2024

Committee Chair

Hill, Ryan M.

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