Life is Precious: reducing suicidal behavior in Latinas

Purpose – Hispanic female (Latina) adolescents have high rates of suicidal behavior. Latinas face suicide risks common to all adolescents, but also face unique risks, including family and acculturation struggles. Life is Precious (LIP), a community-based organization operating in Brooklyn and the Bronx, has developed a comprehensive suicide prevention intervention for Latinas that has been well-received by adolescents, their parents, and the community. The purpose of this paper is to describe an academic-community partnership that has been created to evaluate the program and develop an evidence-based practice (EBP) that can be replicated in other settings. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative and qualitative research design has been developed to evaluate the current program and identify how it can be scaled into an EBP. Findings – To date, 55 participants have completed the baseline interview. All participants are Latinas age 12-18. In total, 84 percent were born in the USA and 89 percent report f...