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Presence of Alcohol and Drugs in Hispanic Versus Non-Hispanic Youth Suicide Victims in Miami-Dade County, Florida

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Abstract

This study examines the association between the presence of drugs and alcohol at time of suicide in Hispanic versus non-Hispanic youth suicide victims in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The Medical Examiner’s records of 435 persons aged 24 years or younger classified as suicides in Miami-Dade County, Florida, from 1990 to 2011 were reviewed. Hispanic youth in Miami-Dade County, Florida were 1.62 times more likely than non-Hispanic youth to have used drugs and alcohol at time of suicide (OR 1.62; 95 % CI 1.07–2.04; p = 0.049). Firearm use was significantly associated with drug and alcohol use at time of death. Use of drugs and alcohol at the time of death are important risk factors for suicide in Hispanic youth.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Grettel Castro, MPH for her assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St, AHC I 349, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Daniel Castellanos

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Cohen Children’s Medical Center, North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, New Hyde Park, NY, 11040, USA

    Jennifer Ellyn Kosoy

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA

    Karla Diaz Ayllon

  4. Department of Medical and Health Sciences Research, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Juan Acuna

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  1. Daniel Castellanos
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  2. Jennifer Ellyn Kosoy
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Correspondence to Daniel Castellanos.

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Castellanos, D., Kosoy, J.E., Ayllon, K.D. et al. Presence of Alcohol and Drugs in Hispanic Versus Non-Hispanic Youth Suicide Victims in Miami-Dade County, Florida. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 1024–1031 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0418-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0418-y

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