Extended family and friendship support and suicidality among African Americans

Abstract

Purpose This study examined the relationship between informal social support from extended family and friends and suicidality among African Americans. Methods Logistic regression analysis was based on a nationally representative sample of African Americans from the National Survey of American Life (N = 3263). Subjective closeness and frequency of contact with extended family and friends and negative family interaction were examined in relation to lifetime suicide ideation and attempts. Results Subjective closeness to family and frequency of contact with friends were negatively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Subjective closeness to friends and negative family interaction were positively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Significant interactions between social support and negative interaction showed that social support buffers against the harmful effects of negative interaction on suicidality. Conclusions Findings are discussed in relation to the functions of positive and negative social ties in suicidality.

Church and family support networks and depressive symptoms among African Americans: Findings from The National Survey of American Life

“…The analysis in Model 3 revealed that family contact and emotional support from family were protective of depressive symptoms. This finding is consistent with previous research indicating that African American family networks protect against depressive symptoms (Taylor et al., ), suicidal ideation and attempts (Nguyen et al., ), and social anxiety disorder (Levine, Taylor, Nguyen, Chatters, & Himle, ). Conversely, negative interaction with family members was associated with greater levels of depressive symptoms.…”

“…Conversely, negative interaction with family members was associated with greater levels of depressive symptoms. This finding is consistent with research indicating that negative interaction is associated with a variety of mental illnesses including suicidality, depression, depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress disorder (Chatters et al., ; Lincoln & Chae, ; Nguyen et al., ; Nguyen, Chatters, Taylor, Levine, & Himle, ).…”

“…Numerous studies indicate that strong family support networks are protective of mental health (Fuller‐Iglesias, Webster, & Antonucci, ; Lee & Szinovacz, ; Nguyen, Taylor, et al., ). For instance, research by Turvey et al.…”

“…For instance, emotional support from family members is associated with decreased odds of experiencing suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts (Lincoln, Taylor, Chatters, & Joe, ). Subjective closeness to family members and more frequent contact with family are also associated with decreased odds of suicidal ideation and attempts (Nguyen et al., ).…”

Hopelessness Among Middle-Aged and Older Blacks: The Negative Impact of Discrimination and Protecting Power of Social and Religious Resources

“…Research on social connectedness, or engagement, among blacks has shown that they are well integrated within their social networks ( 42 ) and highly involved in supportive exchanges, both frequently receiving and providing support to network members ( 43 ). Moreover, rates of social engagement are high among blacks ( 42 ), as they are in frequent contact with their family, friends, and church members ( 42 , 44 ).…”