Stories of Survival

College suicides are a growing social problem in the United States. Suicide is the second leading cause of death on university campuses and more than half of all college students report experiencing some level of suicide ideation in their lifetime. Asian American students are particularly vulnerable to suicide ideation, yet these students also show strong resiliency, leading to lower rates of suicide deaths than their peers. Stories of Survival explores the paradox of suicide vulnerability and resiliency among Asian American college students using one-on-one interviews collected during the global pandemic. This narrative research uses a strength-based approach to understand how Asian American college students live with their suicidal tendencies. It offers a deeply felt examination of the history of mental health challenges that the Asian American undergraduate population face—from intergenerational trauma to racial microaggressions—and the coping strategies, protective factors, and life skills these students build to develop resiliency and well-being. Finally, Stories of Survival ends with practical recommendations and a call to action for colleges and universities to address this important and urgent mental health crisis. Stories of Survival shines a critical light on a frequently overlooked population in mental health research and the ways we can improve resiliency among our most vulnerable communities.

Amy Wong, EdD, is a sociology lecturer at San Diego State University. She is the recipient of several teaching awards, including The President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, The Weber Honors College Outstanding Faculty Award, The College of Arts and Letters Excellence in Teaching Award, and The SDSU Favorite Faculty Award. Stories of Survival is based on her USC doctoral dissertation, which was nominated with distinction by the Rossier School of Education. Dedication Acknowledgements Preface Introduction Chapter 1: The Risk Factors for Suicide Ideation History of Mental Health Challenges "Today is a Bad Day" Intergenerational Trauma Thwarted Belongingness Perceived Burdensomeness Ongoing Suicidal Thoughts Chapter 2: The Protective Factors against Suicide Death The Global Pandemic Coping Strategies and Self-Reliance Support Systems and Human Attachment Life Skills and Self-Care "Today is a Good Day" Reasons for Living Chapter 3: Addressing the Paradox of Suicide Vulnerability and Resiliency Understanding Vulnerability and Reducing Risk Factors Understanding Resiliency and Promoting Protective Factors The Call for Action Practice Recommendations Research Recommendations Conclusion Afterword References Index

DedicationAcknowledgementsPrefaceIntroduction
Chapter 1: The Risk Factors for Suicide Ideation
History of Mental Health Challenges"Today is a Bad Day"Intergenerational TraumaThwarted BelongingnessPerceived BurdensomenessOngoing Suicidal Thoughts
Chapter 2: The Protective Factors against Suicide Death
The Global PandemicCoping Strategies and Self-RelianceSupport Systems and Human AttachmentLife Skills and Self-Care"Today is a Good Day"Reasons for Living
Chapter 3: Addressing the Paradox of Suicide Vulnerability and Resiliency
Understanding Vulnerability and Reducing Risk FactorsUnderstanding Resiliency and Promoting Protective FactorsThe Call for ActionPractice RecommendationsResearch RecommendationsConclusion
AfterwordReferencesIndex