Research finding · July 2026
Latin American suicide genetic research needs larger, more representative research
Suicide rates in parts of Latin America have increased in recent years, even as global suicide rates have declined overall. At the same time, Latin American and Hispanic/Latinx populations remain significantly underrepresented in genomic research (i.e., all genes) on suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This matters because most genomic studies of suicide risk have been conducted in populations of primarily European ancestry, limiting how well findings may generalize across populations with different genetic backgrounds, environmental exposures, and lived experiences. Latin American populations are also highly diverse and admixed, with varying Indigenous, African, and European ancestry, making it especially important for suicide genomics research to account for ancestry, culture, and regional context. Expanding this work could help create a more accurate and inclusive understanding of the biological and environmental factors that shape suicide risk across populations.
With her AFSP-funded work, Dr. Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza reviewed studies examining the biological and genetic factors linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviors in Latin American and Hispanic/Latinx populations. The review included 59 studies focused on suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, nonsuicidal self-injury, and suicide death, and found that this area of research remains relatively limited and fragmented. Many earlier studies focused on genes related to stress, mood, and serotonin signaling, but findings were often inconsistent across studies. More recent large-scale genetic studies showed some promising genetic patterns that may differ across ancestry groups, although researchers noted that small sample sizes and limited representation continue to make findings difficult to interpret with confidence. The review also identified possible links between suicide risk and biological systems involved in stress regulation, immune functioning, and brain development, though much more research is needed to confirm these findings. Overall, the paper highlights the importance of building larger, more collaborative, and more representative suicide research efforts in Latin American and Hispanic/Latinx populations so that future findings better reflect the diversity of the communities being studied.
Citation: Cabrera-Mendoza, B., Panzenhagen, A. C., de Anda-Jáuregui, G., He, J., Magalhaes, P. V. S., Martínez-Magaña, J. J., … Suicide Working Group from the Latin American Genomics Consortium. (2026). Genomic Studies of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Latin American Populations: A Systematic Review. Biol Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.12.009
This finding comes from an AFSP-funded study — see the grant below ↓
