Objective: The Surgeon General has described suicide as a significant public health problem. Previous studies have documented an association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and suicide attempts. This study examines the association between suicide attempts and IPV, along with other predictors, in a unique population-based sample of women of Mexican-origin currently living in California. Method: Participants were women (n=1,115) enrolled in a larger cross-sectional household survey of 3,012 Mexican origin adults, ages 18-59. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated for the association between current IPV and suicide attempts. Log likelihood comparisons were carried out to identify the best model. Results: Suicide attempts were reported by 133 (8.8%) women in the sample. Preliminary analyses suggest that women reporting a lifetime occurrence of physical or sexual assault by an intimate partner were significantly more likely to report having made a suicide attempt (OR=3.1;CI, 1.0-5.2). In the final multivariate model IPV remained a significant predictor of suicide attempts, (OR=2.1, CI, 1.2-3.6) along with age, regular church attendance, major depression, and drug abuse or dependence. Conclusion: Mexican American women in this sample who report IPV are more likely to have attempted suicide, even when controlling for psychiatric disorders.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the prevalence of suicide attemptws in a general population of Mexican American women. 2. Identify factors associated with suicide attempts in Mexican American women. 3. Discuss the role of intimate partner violence as a predictor of suicide attempts.
Keywords: Domestic Violence, Suicide
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.