Overview

Suicide is increasingly understood and predicted as an intersection of biological, psychological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors. We have some basic knowledge of these factors and how they interact, but presently we know very little about how culture can play a role as a variable that influences suicide. Suicide Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups will go a long way towards filling that gap by pulling together cutting edge empirical research from general cultural diversity literature and applying it to suicide assessment, treatment, and prevention theory and practice. By looking outside of the limited cross-cultural studies done within suicidal populations, the contributors – all established experts in both multicultural counseling and suicidology – expand the available empirical literature base in order to provide a deeper look into how culture can act as an important catalyst in suicidal intentions. Following theoretical overviews, the text focuses on six broad ethic groups classified in the literature (African American, American Indian, Asian American, European American, Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, and Hispanic), with a main chapter devoted to each, relating each culture to suicide research, highlighting specific variables within the culture that can influence suicide, and presenting appropriate treatment considerations. A final section of the book consists of practical applications within specific settings (therapy, outreach, schools, psychiatric services) and prevention and training issues.

Full Product Details

9780415955324

Table of Contents

Reviews

<p>If we wish to address this staggering and increasing mental health threat, the cultural context in which suicides occur urgently needs to be clarified. In Suicide Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups: Theory, Research, and Practice, editors Fredrick Leong and Mark Leach provide an updated description of this context within American minority groups that will be useful for clinicians, researchers, and students of suicide within and outside the mental health professions. While admitting from the onset that significant additional research is needed to isolate those cultural factors most relevant to suicide prevention, the editors have produced a book that can serve as the benchmark against which future progress in this field can be measured. Sunita Stewart and Cindy Claassen in PsycCRITIQUES, April 15, 2009, Vol. 54, Release 15, Article 3<p>This is a major contribution that brings together research on prevalence rates, cultural and ecological considerations, and treatment/prevention

Author Information

Frederick T.L. Leong, Mark M. Leach

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