Mental Health Help-Seeking for Suicide Ideation on Attempts in Diverse Youth

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Vincent M. B. Silenzio, MD, MPH is an academic family medicine physician and medical ethnographer with experience in the clinical care of underserved populations and the application of Internet technology in teaching and research. He is a faculty member in the University of Rochester Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide pursuing mental health services research in help-seeking behaviors among adolescents and young adults at risk for suicide. His career goal is to become a leading independent researcher in translational mental health services research in this population. The candidate's career development goals will be to expand his relevant knowledge and skills in the following areas through structured training experiences in: 1) mental health services research, 2) advanced statistical analysis, 3) advanced network analysis methods and computational modeling of complex adaptive networks, 4) research informatics and emerging Internet-based research applications, and 4) adolescent and young adult development in youth at risk for suicide. This will include structured graduate-level coursework, tutorials, ongoing seminars in these areas. The planned research activities and aims include using Internet-based approaches to access a heretofore highly-isolated population of youth at risk for suicide ideation and attempts. We will complete a web-based survey using respondent-driven sampling techniques within social networks of youth to study of mental health resource use among adolescents and young adults at increased risk of suicide ideation or attempts. We will examine differences in predictors of formal vs. informal and technology-based vs. face-to-face mental health help-seeking behaviors for suicide, and the interaction effects of mental health stigma, sexual orientation stigma, and social network measures of peer support on mental health help-seeking. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This study will add to our understanding effectors that influence help-seeking behavior in a population at high risk for suicide. This will deepen our understanding of the ecology of mental health help-seeking for suicide while advancing our appreciation of the role of emerging technologies such as the Internet in future mental health services research and service delivery.