Examining The Associations Between Racial Identity and Suicidal Ideation Among Black Youth

Against the background of increasing rates of suicide among Black youth, researchers have identified the relation Black youth have to their identity as an important factor that may provide insight into the risk of suicide in this population. Preliminary work suggests that racial identity might serve as a protective factor for psychological distress, though the literature is somewhat mixed, especially when suicidality is an outcome. Moreover, this research has predominantly concentrated on adults and/or community samples of youth. As yet, the extent to which the attitudes and beliefs of Black youth regarding their Black identity associate with current or past suicide ideation (SI) or behavior is under-investigated. The current study uses the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity-Teen (MIBI-t) to assess the relationship between aspects of Black identity with depression and suicide ideation. Data were collected from a sample of 90 Black youth between the ages of 11-17 with a current or history of suicidal behaviors and/or moderate levels of depression. Results indicate that Black youth with greater centrality (i.e., the centrality of race to one’s overall self-concept) were more likely to endorse greater symptoms of depression and SI. However, the association between centrality and SI was moderated by perceived racism as a risk factor for suicide, such that this link was only significant at moderate and high levels of endorsement of racism as a risk factor. Overall, findings suggest that ethnic centrality and racism together play a role in SI among Black youth, and future work is needed to further explore these associations.

Duke Scholars

Author Danielle R Busby Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychia ...