How are the risk factors for the adolescent female Hispanic group in this discussion different from the adolescent gay and lesbian group? Would you recommend additional measures of support for the Hispanic group in this discussion? Rely on research findings to respond to this question.
Hispanic females often face sociocultural problems due to the differences in adopted cultural patterns. Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2010) explain, “Daughters strive to adopt customs and values evident in the overriding non-Hispanic culture, whereas parents maintain their allegiance to values, beliefs, and behavior characterizing their original cultural heritage” (pg.343, para.2). This type of issue may result in enhanced family tension.
The next factor, family domain, can prove to be an overwhelming stress on Hispanic females. According to Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2010), the traditional Hispanic family follows a “patriarchal, and male-dominated” type of structure where authoritarian style parenting is used and very strict boundaries are placed on the daughters (pg.343, para.3). This makes it much harder on a young Hispanic female to reach independence, and they often feel they are at constant battle with their family. Sofronoff, Dalgleish, & Kosky (2004) write, “Unresolved conflict within the family and a lack of closeness between family members are…commonly reported… [implying] that many suicidal adolescents do not feel supported by their family when they feel at their most vulnerable” (pg.18, para.1).
The final aspect of Hispanic female suicide mentioned is psychological domain. All adolescents must find a way to cope with anger, and many times this can be a trigger for suicide in all different types of cultures. However, Hispanic females are taught to suppress their anger, which may cause them to lack certain coping skills needed to reduce stress (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010).
Some supportive measures that can be taken to reduce suicide attempts would be community outreach with suicide prevention teams, crisis hotlines, peer programs in schools, and counseling sessions in schools. Having community programs that bring awareness of statistics and situations that could be occurring in their own homes may make the parents start to evaluate their own children’s behavior more. Also, having hotlines and community centers where young people can go to receive counseling and feel comfortable will be great assets. Most young people feel more comfortable speaking about their issues when they find others who have gone through the same situations. Peer programs could help to prevent many potential suicides. Overall, I believe if parents, teachers, and other leaders would take the time to assess these kids, look for potential warning signs, and really listen to the problems they are facing, a significant reduction would occur.
