142: Social Roots of Youth Suicide: Interview with Anna Mueller, PhD

The Social Work Podcast

Episode 142: In today's episode, I spoke with sociologist, Anna S. Mueller, PhD. Luther Dana Waterman Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Senior Research Program Leader of the Mental Illness, Suicide, and Addiction Section of the Irsay Institute at Indiana University. Anna and I spoke about why Anna and her colleague, Seth Abrutyn, looked at the social roots of youth suicide at Poplar Grove, the social factors that they found contributed to youth suicide contagion and clusters (including the rigid cultural expectations, mental health stigma, and high level of connectedness); the role of social workers in school-based multidisciplinary practice; and practical steps that schools and communities can take to address youth suicide. Anna and Seth's book, Life under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do About Them is a must read for anyone who works with youth. You can read a transcript of today's interview at https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2024/12/mueller.html. You can connect with other social workers at the Social Work Podcast Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/swpodcast, or follow the Bluesky feed at https://jbsinger.bsky.social.