Help-Seeking Intentions and Behaviors for Mental Health Crises Among Latine and Hispanic Undergraduate Students

Rates of completed suicide have grown commensurately within the Latine/Hispanic population in the United States (U.S.). Latine university students are at elevated risk for mental health crises given academic expectations compounded by additional pressures of navigating marginalization in the U.S., including acculturative stress and discrimination. Despite these concerns, Latine students are not likely to seek out help when experiencing mental health concerns. The newly implemented 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline may address this gap by providing free, confidential, and 24/7 support. Utilizing the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS; Van Orden et al., 2010), this study assessed the extent to which suicide risk is related to help-seeking intentions among Latine and Hispanic undergraduate students, as well as students’ intentions to use the 988 Lifeline ( N = 188). Results demonstrated that although 33.5% of participants met clinical cutoff criteria suicide risk, engagement with and knowledge of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was low. Both thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness were negatively associated with seeking out help from both formal and informal sources yet positively associated with not seeking any support. These results indicate that sociopsychological processes may affect help-seeking for suicidality among Latine students. Implications for intervention are addressed.