Relationship Between Sense of Belonging as Connectedness and Suicide in American Indians

The incidence of suicide in American Indians is highest of all ethnic populations. M. Naegle and C. D'Avanzo (2001) assert that suicide is often correlated with primary depression and substance dependence. Prevalence rate for suicide within the American Indian population was 1.5 times the national rate in 2001. The sociohistorical impact of sense of belonging to suicide within this population has not been explored in previous research (C. Strickland, E. Walsh, & M. Cooper, 2006). The findings support that sense of belonging has a negative association with suicidal ideation (r = −.203, P ≤ .01) and may buffer the development of depressive symptoms.