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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION: The present study sought to uncover previously unknown interactions stemming from individual, socioenvironmental, and psychological factors associated with suicidal ideation among Latinx adolescents using a classification and regression tree (CART) modeling approach.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included national data from a sample of 656 Latinx adolescents who participated in the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Self-report data was collected on suicidal ideation, individual, socioenvironmental, and psychological factors.
Results: CART identified several interactions that classified Latinx adolescents as endorsing suicidal ideation. The first split identified parental monitoring as a significant predictor of suicidal ideation, successfully classifying over 50% of the sample (n = 360). The ensuing interaction occurred between lower parental monitoring and depression symptoms, followed by increased parental monitoring and BMI. Other interactions included sex, self-rated health, household size, and peer relationships. CART results suggest that BMI was the most influential variable associated with suicidal ideation, followed by self-rated health and parental monitoring.
Conclusion: Since suicidal thoughts and behaviors are malleable, utilizing an individual, socioenvironmental, and psychological framework would continue to provide comprehensive approaches to identifying data-driven interactions between risk and protective factors that may lessen the heightened risk of suicidal ideation among Latinx adolescents. |