Perceived Racism, Discrimination, and Acculturation in Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts among Black Young Adults

Abstract

During young adulthood the suicide rate among Blacks rises dramatically and approaches that of the U.S. general population, requiring that prevention efforts include a focus on Black young adults. Although most research on suicidality among Blacks has focused on risk factors observed in the dominant culture, in this study the authors examined associations between perceived discrimination, racism, and acculturation with lifetime suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA) among Black young adults. Two hundred fifty Black or African American individuals aged 18-24 residing in a midsize northeastern city were recruited to participate through advertisements. Participants filled out self-report questionnaires. Logistic regressions were used to examine the association of each predictor with SI and SA. Greater perceived acculturation was associated with SI in univariate and multivariate models. There were no other statistically significant results concerning the predictors of interest. The link between perceived acculturation and SI is consistent with limited available data, indicating the need for further study including the potential mechanism(s) for the association. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and reliance on subjective measures.

Depression in Latina mothers: Examining the roles of acculturation, enculturation, social support, and family resources.

“…As such, it has been suggested that there is an immigrant paradox, in which the more time spent in the United States is associated with more mental health difficulties (Caplan, 2007;Schwartz, Unger, Zamboanga, & Szapocnik, 2010a;Torres, 2010). Higher rates of acculturation have been linked to increased substance abuse and dependence (Abraido-Lanza et al, 2005;Akins, Mosher, Smith, & Florence Gauthier, 2008;Ayala, Baquero, & Klinger, 2008;Burnam et al, 1987;Gil, Wagner, & Vega, 2000;McNulty Eitle, Gonzalez Wahl, & Aranda, 2009), health problems (i.e., high body-mass indices and poor diet; Abraido-Lanza et al, 2000;Ebin et al, 2001;Finch & Vega, 2003;Khan et al, 1997), problematic behavior (i.e., unsafe sexual activity, delinquency; Dinh, Roosa, Tein, & Lopez, 2002;Ebin et al, 2001;Samaniego & Gonzales, 1999;Sullivan et al, 2007;Vega, Gil, Warheit, Zimmerman, & Aposporit, 1993;Vega, Khoury, Gil, & Warheit, 1995), intimate partner violence (Caetan, Ramisetty-Mikler, Caetano Vaeth, & Harris, 2007;Garcia, Hurwitz, & Kraus, 2005;Sabrina, Cuevas, & Zadnik, 2014;Sanderson, Coker, Roberts, Tortolero, & Reininger, 2004), depression (Finch & Vega, 2003;Gonzalez et al, 2001;Lorenzo-Blanco et al, 2011;Rivera, 2007;Torres, 2010), and suicidal ideation (Castle, Conner, Kaukeinen, & Tu, 2011;Hovey & King, 1996;Perez-Rodriguez et al, 2014;Rasmussen, Negy, Carlson, & Mitchell Burns, 1997;Walker et al, 2008).…”

Perceived Racism and Suicide Ideation: Mediating Role of Depression but Moderating Role of Religiosity among African American Adults

“…Several studies have addressed the potential effects of perceived racism and racial disparities on suicide, although with mixed findings. Castle, Conner, Kaukeinen, and Tu () proposed that discrimination experiences might induce feelings of stress, anger, and depression. However, they did not find that perceived discrimination directly increased the odds of suicide attempt or ideation in a community sample of young African American and Black adults.…”

Duration of US residence and suicidality among racial/ethnic minority immigrants

“…Two factors likely contribute to these disparate findings: first, Kposowa looked at completed suicide, whereas we are examining suicidal ideation and attempts; and second, our analysis uses a nationally representative sample of Latinos, while suicide cases from Kposowa et al were from a single site in California. In a small study of Black youth aged 18–24 ( N = 250), Castle et al [48] reported that acculturation was positively associated with suicidal ideation. Similarly, elevated rates of attempted suicide among racial/ethnic minority immigrants in European countries may indicate difficulties in the acculturation and social integration process [49].…”