Few studies have examined the role of culturally relevant factors in suicidal behavior among Asian Americans. Using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) (Alegria et al., 2004;Heeringa et al., 2004), the current study examined the role of culturally related variables (family conflict, perceived discrimination, and ethnic identity) on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a nationally representative sample of 2,095 Asian Americans. Important covariates were sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, years of education, household poverty, and nativity status), depressive and anxiety disorders, and number of chronic conditions. Gender related correlates were also explored. The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts was 8.8% and 2.5%, respectively. Female gender, family conflict, perceived discrimination, and the presence of lifetime depressive or anxiety disorders were positively correlated with suicidal ideation and attempts. A high level of identification with one's ethnic group was associated with lower rates of suicide attempts. Among Asian men, but not women, the presence of chronic medical conditions was associated with suicidal ideation. Findings highlight the contributions to suicide risk of cultural factors and gender differences in Asian Americans. Keywordssuicide; family conflict; discrimination; ethnic identity; Asian Americans Understanding risk factors for suicide is the first step in developing suicide prevention and intervention strategies for Asian Americans. Although Asian Americans are one of the most Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Janice Ka Yan Cheng, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. jancheng@ucdavis.edu. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptAsian Am J Psychol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 October 13. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript rapidly growing ethnic groups in the United States, few empirical studies on suicide have been conducted on this population. It has been argued that Western theories and findings of suicide may not be generalizable to ethnic minorities in general and Asian Americans in particular. Leenaars (2008) and Lester (2008) highlighted the need for understanding suicide beyond the factors at the individual level. In recent years, researchers have proposed the use of the ecological model for understanding suicide, which emphasizes that behaviors are influenced by the interplay of individual, interpersonal, social, and cultural levels (Bronfrenbrenner, 1979). The model was first applied to understand child abuse, and most recently, it has been effectively applied to the study of suicide in Latina youths and African American adults (Kaslow et al., 2005;Zayas, Lester, Cabassa, & Fortuna, 2005). Demographic characteristics and psychopathology may contribute to suicidal behavior, but behaviors can also be influenced by interpersonal relationships in specific settings (e.g., fam...

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