Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
Department of Psychology and Philosophy, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, USA.
Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2022 Oct;52(5):876-886. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12871. Epub 2022 May 9.
The number of immigrants in the United States and the risk of suicide among minoritized individuals have increased. Little research has examined the impact of immigration legal status on suicide-related thoughts and behaviors (SRTB), despite theoretical and empirical work suggesting that feelings of burdensomeness and failure to belong (prominent among immigrants) are risk factors.
We examined a diverse sample of foreign-born young adults (18-25; N = 366). Data collection utilized the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire Revised and items probing belongingness and immigration status (undocumented/Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), permanent, and citizen).
DACA/undocumented status was associated with increased SRTB compared with permanent and citizen categories. Increased SRTBs were associated with reduced feelings of acceptance in the United States, increased deportation fears, and increased fear of being harassed or hurt. Of these belongingness variables, only the interpersonal-not feeling welcome in the United States-partially mediated the risk relation between DACA/undocumented immigration legal status and SRTBs, whereas physical and legal threat, like deportation, did not.
Our results highlight the interpersonal nature of SRTB risk in DACA/undocumented immigrants and the need for targeted culture and context-appropriate interventions, as well as advocacy and policy to reduce risk in this historically marginalized population.
美国的移民数量增加了，少数族裔人群的自杀风险也增加了。尽管理论和实证工作表明，无归属感和失败感（移民中普遍存在）是风险因素，但很少有研究探讨移民法律地位对与自杀相关的想法和行为（SRTB）的影响。
我们研究了一个由不同的外国出生的年轻成年人（18-25 岁；N=366）组成的样本。数据收集利用了修订后的自杀行为问卷和探究归属感和移民身份的项目（无证/童年入境暂缓遣返（DACA）、永久和公民）。
与永久和公民类别相比，DACA/无证身份与增加的 SRTB 相关。增加的 SRTB 与在美国的归属感降低、驱逐出境的恐惧增加以及害怕受到骚扰或伤害有关。在这些归属感变量中，只有人际方面的归属感，即感觉在美国不受欢迎，部分中介了 DACA/无证移民法律地位与 SRTB 之间的风险关系，而身体和法律威胁，如驱逐出境，则没有。
我们的结果强调了 DACA/无证移民中 SRTB 风险的人际性质，以及需要针对特定文化和背景的干预措施，以及倡导和政策来降低这一历史上边缘化群体的风险。
