Protective factors for suicidal ideation among Black adolescents indirectly exposed to community violence

Abstract

Objective Community violence exposure has been identified as a risk factor for Black youth suicide ideation. However, little is known about factors that protect community violence exposed youth against suicide ideation. The current study examined associations between knowledge of family member and peers’ community violence exposure and Black youth's subsequent suicidal ideation, and investigated self‐worth and social support as protective factors. Method Participants were a community sample of Black youth (N = 447, 47.4% female; Mage = 11.77, SD = 0.35) who reported about community violence exposure, self‐worth, social support, and suicide ideation in grades 6 and 7. Results Regression analyses revealed that grade 6 knowledge of family member and peers’ community violence exposure was associated with increases in suicide ideation assessed in grade 7. Self‐worth attenuated the association between knowledge of others’ community violence exposure and suicide ideation for male adolescents. For female adolescents, social support attenuated the association between knowledge of others’ community violence and suicide ideation. Conclusions Findings highlight the consequential impact of knowledge about community violence for Black youth's suicidal ideation. Enhancing protective factors for Black youth is an important target for intervening with exposure to violence and reducing suicide ideation.

Heterogeneous effects of spatially proximate firearm homicide exposure on anxiety and depression symptoms among U.S. youth

“…The finding that spatially proximate firearm homicide exposure was significantly associated with depression only among boys in the stratum with the highest exposure risk underscores both the disturbingly high risk of community firearm violence exposure among Black boys in the U.S. and the devastating toll that exposure can have on their mental health. While a number of researchers have examined the relationship between community violence exposure and adverse mental health consequences among Black boys (e. g., Gaylord-Harden et al, 2016 ; Gorman-Smith and Tolan, 1998 ; Lambert et al, 2021 ), findings have been inconsistent, with some detecting an association and others not. However, few have isolated the impact of deadly firearm violence exposure, which may have more harmful consequences on the mental health of youth and on socioeconomically disadvantaged Black boys in particular.…”

“…Furthermore, while outside the scope of the current study, we cannot ignore the necessity for more research examining any relationship between community firearm violence exposure and the alarming and unprecedented rise in firearm suicide among Black youth over the past 20 years ( Sheftall et al, 2022 ). Scholars have noted that among Black youth, knowledge of family and peers' community violence exposure is associated with subsequent increases in suicide ideation ( Lambert et al, 2021 ), further accentuating the need for more research to better understand these associations, especially those related to firearm-specific violence exposure.…”