# Early Intervention for Suicide Risk among Immigrant Youth

> **NIH NIH K23** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $103,846

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Background. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds in the United States, yet
there is a dearth of evidence-based prevention programs that explicitly address suicide risk factors prior to the
onset of suicide attempts. First and second generation immigrant youth comprise 25% of the U.S. population
under 18 and experience specific risk factors for suicidal ideation and attempts. This includes family conflict
exacerbated by differing cultural expectations between parents and children and disruptions to parent-child
communication. At the same time, family-based preventive interventions focused on enhancing family
protective factors show promise for reducing later suicide risk. Research Strategy. The present study focuses
on developing and testing a family-based preventive intervention for suicide risk through three interrelated
projects. These are: 1) Conducting longitudinal analyses of two existing datasets to identify how social support
assets (e.g., experiences of family, peer, and community support) buffer suicide risk for adolescents at high
risk of suicidal behavior, and examining how these associations may vary by gender and racial/ethnic group; 2)
Utilizing intervention mapping and qualitative data to develop and refine a new preventive intervention, the
Early Intervention for Suicide Risk among Immigrant Youth; and 3) Pilot testing the early intervention with first
and second generation immigrant Latino/a adolescents screening positive for suicide risk and their families. 40
families will be randomized to the intervention or to usual care. Feasibility, acceptability, and impact on the
intervention targets will be assessed. Training Plan. In coordination with the research plan, Dr. Alvarez will
pursue training in the following three areas: 1) methodological approaches relevant to development and
evaluation of preventive interventions targeting low base rate behaviors; 2) innovative approaches to
assessment of suicide risk in clinical research contexts; and 3) design and testing of prevention programs
delivered in healthcare, school, and community settings, with a particular focus on suicide prevention. Her
research will be based at the Disparities Research Unit in Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard Medical
School affiliated, major medical center providing access to an abundance of clinical research resources and
training opportunities. Mentorship. The project’s mentorship team provides a range of complementary
expertise relevant to the research and training aims of this proposal. Dr. Alvarez’s primary mentor, Dr. Alegria,
is an expert in health disparities and health services research with extensive experience in mentoring early
career investigators, including K awardees. Her co-mentor Dr. Wyman provides expertise in youth suicide
prevention and prevention research, and co-mentor Dr. Shrout provides expertise in statistical modeling of
longitudinal data and analysis of clinical trial outcomes...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10654892
- **Project number:** 7K23MH112841-06
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kiara Alvarez
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $103,846
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10654892

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10654892, Early Intervention for Suicide Risk among Immigrant Youth (7K23MH112841-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10654892. Licensed CC0.

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