Support and strain: Social networks and suicidal ideation among urban American Indian young adults

• In Event: Revitalizing the Sociology of Suicide

Abstract

Despite recent policy promoting the role of social connectedness in health, sociologists have long argued that social ties alone may not reduce suicide risk. Emerging research suggests that both social network configurations and homophilous ties, or experiences and statuses within the network, can reduce suicide risk. Yet, these same studies suggest that for American Indian people, network alignments may increase suicide risk, perhaps as a result of sociocultural processes of disruption and disadvantage. Here, we extend these theoretical perspectives and examine data from individuals receiving services at an urban healthcare center serving indigenous persons with the Networks and Suicide Risk Among American Indians Study in the American Southwest (n=168). Latent profile and regression analyses support four distinct typological network profiles (Bonded Support, Disrupted Egoistic, Strained Experiential, and Strained Support) that are associated with differing levels of suicidal ideation. Specifically, individuals reporting the large, loose network typologies that include homophily on mental health status or network strain are associated with the highest likelihood of suicidal ideation. Individuals with the other two profiles have a similar, lower likelihood of suicidal ideation. These findings suggest that more than one profile can lead to different levels of suicide risk. Healthcare centers should attend to network-based ties, inside and outside of the clinic, by developing network-targeted interventions to help reduce the high, persistent suicide risk in this population.

Authors

• Ashley Railey, Oklahoma State University

• Bernice A. Pescosolido, Indiana University-Bloomington

• Linda Son-Stone, First Nations Community HealthSource

• Tassy Parker, University of New Mexico

• Spero Manson, Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus