This cross-sectional study examined how suicide stigma, suicide literacy, and acculturation relate to help-seeking self-efficacy (confidence in obtaining emergency psychological services for one's child) among 238 Hispanic/Latinx parents in the U.S., controlling for parent depression, suicidal ideation, demographics, and child's prior service use.
Higher suicide stigma independently predicted lower self-efficacy (β = −0.15, p = .026); higher acculturation independently predicted greater self-efficacy (β = 0.19, p = .009). Suicide literacy did not independently predict self-efficacy but mediated the acculturation–self-efficacy link (indirect effect = 0.06, 95% CI [0.001, 0.127]). The full model explained 14% of variance in self-efficacy.
- Cross-sectional design prevents causal inference; direction of associations is unknown. - Self-report measures for stigma are vulnerable to social desirability bias. - Self-efficacy was assessed with a single Likert item, limiting measurement precision.
Clinicians working with Hispanic/Latinx families should screen for and actively address suicide stigma, as it is a modifiable barrier to parents seeking emergency care for suicidal youth. Providing culturally and linguistically tailored suicide psychoeducation (e.g., in Spanish, in primary care or school settings) may boost suicide literacy and, in turn, strengthen parents' confidence to act in a crisis.
