Philip A. May ^1*, Patricia Serna ², Lance Hurt ², Lemyra M. DeBruyn ³

¹ The University of New Mexico
² Mental Health Program
³ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pmay{at}unm.edu.

	Abstract

Objectives: This paper evaluates the efficacy of 15 years of a public health-oriented suicidal behavior prevention program among youth of an American Indian reservation. Methods: All suicides, attempts, and suicidal gestures were monitored. Age-specific analyses over time assess outcomes. Results: Both descriptive and linear regression analyses indicate that a substantial drop was recorded in suicidal gestures (R2 =.595, Beta = -.790, p = 000) and attempts (R2 =.322, Beta = -.609, p = .016). Suicidal deaths neither declined nor increased. Targeted age cohorts (11-18 years) benefited in both short and long term, as combined gestures and completions were reduced significantly for 19-24 year olds (p = .001) and for 11-18 year olds (p = .048). Overall, while suicidal deaths did not change, total self-destructive acts declined 87% (p = .000). Conclusions: Data from this community-based approach document a remarkable, downward trend in suicidal acts measured by both magnitude and temporal trends in the specifically-targeted age cohorts. The sequence of the decrease is indicative of program success.

Key Words: Community Health, Injury/Emergency Care/Violence, Mental Health, Prevention, Public Health Practice, Native Americans

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