ABSTRACT

Throughout the literature on suicidal individuals in the U.S. are references to the existence of differences in suicidality as a function of diversityrelated characteristics (e.g., Westefeld, Range, Rogers, Maples, Bromley, & Alcorn, 2000). For example, in terms of variations in suicidal behaviors as a function of biological sex, there is a fairly consistent sex-related difference reported, with males dying by suicide to a much greater extent than females (Maris, Berman, & Silverman, 2000). Similarly, differences in suicide attempts are consistently reported in the literature with females engaging in suicide attempts to a much greater extent than males as well as relatively stable age-related differences, with suicide rates generally increasing with age. Differences related to identification based on race are also reported. With regard to race, suicide rates are highest for Native American individuals and non-Hispanic Whites, and substantially lower for people of Hispanic origin, non-Hispanic African Americans, and individuals of Asian or Pacific Island backgrounds (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2003).