Youth Suicide Research Program

The Youth Suicide Research Program at the Psychiatry Research Institute at Montefiore Einstein (PRIME) uses two-generation approaches to enhance risk assessments and interventions for children with suicidal thoughts and behaviors while promoting the well-being of the entire family. Our approach recognizes how the dynamics and bidirectional influences between children and caregivers shape child development and family health. We propose that family-centered interventions, which leverage the interconnected experiences of children and their caregivers, are likely to be more effective in reducing suicide risk than single-generation approaches.

Led by Dr. Ana Ortin Peralta, the Youth Suicide Research Program uses a mixed methodologies approach to examine how development and context interact to increase suicide risk among children and adolescents. Her research also focuses on identifying psychological pathways.

This line of research integrates mixed and visual methods to better understand the characteristics and risk factors for suicidal ideation among children from a broad range of environments. We aim to improve risk assessments and safety planning interventions by incorporating novel developmental perspectives and reports from multiple informants.

Intergenerational Transmission of Suicide Risk
Suicide runs in families, yet this area remains largely unexplored despite its significance for suicide prevention. By leveraging large epidemiological datasets, our research seeks to identify the conditions and pathways through which suicide risk is transmitted within families.

Family Dynamics & Bidirectional Influences
Using mixed methodologies and multi-informant approaches, we aim to uncover how individual family members and their interactions contribute to the development and persistence of a child’s suicidal thoughts and behaviors. By emphasizing family dynamics and bidirectional influences, we hope to identify new intervention targets that address the needs of both the child and the family as a whole.

Our lab is actively conducting both epidemiological and clinical research while engaging in dissemination efforts. Our current studies include qualitative analyses of various data sources, such as interviews, drawings and body maps, from children with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, we are performing secondary analyses of epidemiological datasets that incorporate multi-informant reports on socio-emotional factors and suicide risk.

Funded by a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) R01 grant alongside Dr. Regina Miranda, Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), and Dr. Lauren Gulbas, Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin, our Program uses mixed methodologies and multi-informant approaches to characterize childhood suicidal ideation and expressions of distress. With the support of a community advisory board, we are recruiting 150 children (ages 8–12) from all backgrounds who have recently experienced suicidal thoughts or attempts, along with their caregivers, from emergency departments in the Bronx and Manhattan (New York) and Austin (Texas).