Identifying neighborhood factors that influence youth suicide risk
Official title: Expanding the Geospatial Identification of Elevated Suicide Risk (GIESR) Method to Identify Neighborhood Level Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Suicide Ideation and Attempts
Funded at Louisiana State Univ A&m Col Baton Rouge · NIH-10665074 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how things in your neighborhood might influence young people's thoughts about suicide, and it aims to find ways to make communities safer for kids and teens.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Louisiana State Univ A&m Col Baton Rouge NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baton Rouge, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $182,100 |
| NIH project number | 5R21MH128557-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-10665074 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are adolescents living in neighborhoods identified as having elevated suicide risk factors.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not adolescents or those living in areas not identified as high-risk may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research aims to understand how different neighborhood characteristics can affect the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among young people. By using a method called Geospatial Identification of Elevated Suicide Risk (GIESR), the team will analyze data from healthcare settings to pinpoint areas with higher rates of youth suicide ideation and attempts. The goal is to identify modifiable factors that can be targeted for community-based prevention efforts, ultimately helping to create safer environments for adolescents. The study will involve mapping and statistical analysis to uncover these critical insights.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved community interventions that reduce youth suicide rates.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in using geospatial methods to identify health risks, suggesting that this approach could be effective in addressing youth suicide risk.
Where this research is happening
-
Louisiana State Univ A&m Col Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hill, Ryan — Louisiana State Univ A&m Col Baton Rouge
- Study coordinator: Hill, Ryan
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Childhood suicide risk: understanding feelings and caregiver perspectives
A multi-informant study with children aged 8-12 and their caregivers to better predict how childhood thoughts of suicide and distress develop and signal risk.
-
How loneliness and feeling cut off relate to suicidal thoughts in older adults
Researchers will follow people aged 65 and older for a year with frequent reports and behavioral measures to track how social disconnection and sensitivity to rejection relate to suicidal thoughts.
-
Understanding childhood suicide thoughts to improve risk assessment
This study is looking for ways to better understand and talk about suicidal thoughts in kids aged 8-12 by listening to both the children and their caregivers, using creative methods to capture their feelings and experiences, so we can help keep them safe and supported.
-
Understanding how social disconnection affects suicide risk in older adults.
This study is looking at how feeling lonely or rejected might affect thoughts about suicide in older adults, and it aims to understand how social connections and emotions change over time to help identify those at risk.
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How social connections can help prevent suicide thoughts in young women who love women
This study is looking at why young women who love other women might think about suicide more than their straight friends, and it wants to find out how having strong friendships and a positive sense of self can help keep them safe, especially during big life changes like starting high school or college.
-
Understanding why some adolescents continue to have thoughts of suicide.
This study is looking at what helps or hinders young people in rural areas, aged 14 to 18, who have had thoughts about suicide, so we can better understand how to support them and prevent these feelings from sticking around.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.