Suicide and Self-Injury
Profiles of Risk for Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors among System-Impacted Girls of Color
Ana E. Sheehan, M.A.
Graduate Student
University of Delaware
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania
Nadia Bounoua, M.A.
Graduate Student
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Raquel E. Rose, B.S.
Graduate student
New York University
Brooklyn, New York
Shabnam Javdani, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
New York University
New York, New York
Naomi Sadeh, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Background: Suicide represents a leading cause of death among youth in custodial settings. However, prior research investigating risk factors for suicide among justice involved youth have failed to incorporate an intersectional framework to contextualize suicide risk among justice-involved female youth of color.
Methods: To begin to fill this gap in the literature, the current study investigated profiles of risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) in a sample of justice-involved girls. Participants included 238 racially and ethnically diverse girls involved in the justice system (M/SD age = 14.54/1.65, Hispanic/Latinx = 45.7%, Black = 35.1%). Participants completed self-report measures evaluating risk factors for suicide (e.g., mental health symptoms, risk-taking behavior, trauma exposure), and recent engagement in SITBs.
Results: Latent profile analysis revealed three distinct profiles. The first profile was characterized by relatively low levels of all suicide risk indicators (n = 102, “Low-Risk”); the second profile was distinguished by elevations in internalizing symptom indicators (n = 42, “High-Risk Internalizing”); and the third profile was defined by relatively high levels of all suicide risk indicators (n = 96; “High-Risk Comorbid”). Girls in the “High-Risk” profiles reported more SITBs at baseline and a 3-month follow-up assessment than girls in the Low-risk profile (profile one).
Conclusion: Results suggest that indicators of suicide risk can be used to classify girls in the justice system into profiles that differ concurrently and prospectively on SITBs. Furthermore, findings from this study could be used to inform more accurate risk and referral assessments for system-impacted girls of color, whose SITB-related challenges may be overlooked or framed as criminal. These findings highlight the continued need for assessments evaluating multiple indicators of risk for SITBs in justice settings.
