Krishnamurti Lauren S, Mignogna Joseph, Iglesias Christe'An D, Rohs Carly M, Polzer Evan R, Holliday Ryan, Iwamasa Gayle Y, Monteith Lindsey L
Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, Aurora, CO, United States.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States.
Front Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 3;16:1520980. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1520980. eCollection 2025.
Suicide rates have increased substantially among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Veterans. However, little is known about the context of suicide risk or how best to tailor care for this population, especially as it relates specifically to Asian American Veterans, for whom extant research has been limited. We explored Asian American Veterans' lived experiences with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, their perspectives regarding suicide risk and prevention, and the broader context in which these occurred.
Qualitative interviews were conducted in 2022-2023 with 20 Asian American Veterans with histories of suicidal ideation and/or suicide attempt(s). Interviews explored participants' identities and values (i.e., for context), as well as their beliefs, experiences and perspectives regarding suicide prevention (e.g., how suicide is discussed among Asian American Veterans, factors that might cause Asian American Veterans to experience suicidal ideation, and how suicide prevention initiatives can be tailored to address the needs of Asian American Veterans). Interview transcripts were analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis.
We identified four themes relevant to Asian American Veterans' experiences with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, perspectives on suicide risk and prevention, and the context in which these occurred. First, participants spoke to the "model minority" stereotype and pressure to convey self-discipline and perfectionism and to acculturate to American or Western values, which were also shaped by their own or familial immigration experiences. Second, participants reflected upon their minoritized status within the U.S. military, which often mirrored the sense of "otherness" experienced outside of their military service. While participants described positive overall experiences in the military, they also described experiencing racism during their military service. Third, mental health stigma was salient, shaped by cultural beliefs and perceived as consistent with military culture, deterring disclosure and help-seeking and posing an obstacle for suicide prevention. Lastly, destigmatizing mental healthcare and increasing the visibility of Asian American Veterans seeking mental health services were considered paramount to suicide prevention.
Considerations for preventing suicide among Asian American Veterans include addressing the sociocultural factors that shape mental health, suicide risk, and healthcare use. In particular, findings suggest the importance of addressing stereotypes about Asian Americans (e.g., model minority myth), preventing behaviors that contribute to a sense of "otherness," and increasing the visibility of Asian American Veterans in outreach and messaging to promote help-seeking.
亚裔美国人、夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民退伍军人的自杀率大幅上升。然而，对于自杀风险的背景情况，或者如何为这一群体提供最佳的针对性护理，我们知之甚少，尤其是对于亚裔美国退伍军人而言，现有研究有限。我们探讨了亚裔美国退伍军人有自杀想法和行为的生活经历、他们对自杀风险和预防的看法，以及这些情况发生的更广泛背景。
2022年至2023年，对20名有自杀意念和/或自杀未遂史的亚裔美国退伍军人进行了定性访谈。访谈探讨了参与者的身份和价值观（即背景情况），以及他们对自杀预防的信念、经历和看法（例如，亚裔美国退伍军人如何讨论自杀、可能导致亚裔美国退伍军人产生自杀意念的因素，以及如何调整自杀预防举措以满足亚裔美国退伍军人的需求）。通过归纳主题内容分析对访谈记录进行了分析。
我们确定了与亚裔美国退伍军人的自杀想法和行为经历、对自杀风险和预防的看法以及这些情况发生的背景相关的四个主题。首先，参与者谈到了“模范少数族裔”的刻板印象，以及传达自律和完美主义以及融入美国或西方价值观的压力，这些也受到他们自己或家庭移民经历的影响。其次，参与者反思了他们在美国军队中的少数族裔身份，这往往反映了他们在服兵役之外所感受到的“异类感”。虽然参与者描述了在军队中的总体积极经历，但他们也描述了在服役期间遭受种族主义的经历。第三，心理健康污名很突出，受文化信仰影响，被认为与军事文化一致，这阻碍了信息披露和寻求帮助，对自杀预防构成障碍。最后，消除心理健康护理的污名化以及提高寻求心理健康服务的亚裔美国退伍军人的可见度被认为对自杀预防至关重要。
预防亚裔美国退伍军人自杀的考虑因素包括解决影响心理健康、自杀风险和医疗保健使用的社会文化因素。特别是，研究结果表明解决有关亚裔美国人的刻板印象（例如模范少数族裔神话）、防止导致“异类感”的行为以及在宣传和信息传递中提高亚裔美国退伍军人的可见度以促进寻求帮助的重要性。
