These researchers sought to describe risk and protective factors associated with a suicide attempt for Māori youth and also explore whether family connection moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide attempts for Māori youth. The study cohort comprised 1702 Māori young people aged 12–18 years from an anonymous representative national school-based survey of New Zealand (NZ) youth in 2001. In a logistic regression analysis, risk factors identified as being associated with a suicide attempt in the past year included depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 4.3; p<0.0001), having a close friend or family member commit suicide (OR, 4.2; p<0.0001), being 12–15 years old (reference group: 16–18 years) (OR, 2.7; p<0.0001), having anxiety symptoms (OR, 2.3; p=0.0073), witnessing an adult hit another adult or a child in the home (OR, 1.8; p=0.001), and being uncomfortable in NZ European social surroundings (OR, 1.7; p=0.0040). While family connection was associated with fewer suicide attempts (OR, 0.9; p=0.0002), this factor failed to moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide attempt (χ2 = 2.84; p=0.09).
