Associations between social network characteristics and suicidal thoughts among refugees in the Southwest U.S

= 150), egocentric social network analysis assessed both structural and functional dimensions of participants' networks. Findings revealed that larger network size was associated with higher odds of suicidal thoughts, whereas ties to children or extended family and higher levels of emotional support were associated with lower odds of suicidal thoughts. These results underscore the importance of prioritizing relationship quality and diversity, rather than network size alone, in suicide prevention efforts. They also highlight the need for culturally responsive, network-based interventions tailored to refugee communities, with critical implications for practice, policy, and future research.

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Publication Details

Journal
Death Studies
Published
2026-04-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2655300
Primary Topic
Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Associations between social network characteristics and suicidal thoughts among refugees in the Southwest U.S

Sabaa Mahmood Abdullah, Mee Young Um, Zoe Baccam, Arati Maleku et al.
Death Studies
Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
article

Associations between social network characteristics and suicidal thoughts among refugees in the Southwest U.S

Sabaa Mahmood Abdullah, Mee Young Um, Zoe Baccam, Arati Maleku, Shambika Raut, Tom Taknan, Jamil Shahin, Muktar Sheikh, Aiman Hesswany, Martin Assumani, Youn Kyoung Kim, Tek Pariyar
article en

Abstract

= 150), egocentric social network analysis assessed both structural and functional dimensions of participants' networks. Findings revealed that larger network size was associated with higher odds of suicidal thoughts, whereas ties to children or extended family and higher levels of emotional support were associated with lower odds of suicidal thoughts. These results underscore the importance of prioritizing relationship quality and diversity, rather than network size alone, in suicide prevention efforts. They also highlight the need for culturally responsive, network-based interventions tailored to refugee communities, with critical implications for practice, policy, and future research.

Death Studies
Louisiana State University (US), Refugee Council (GB), Arizona Community Foundation (US), Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (US), Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies (SY), Rock Point Community School (US), The Ohio State University (US), Arizona State University (US), Royal University of Bhutan (BT)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 17%
Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
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