Effects of a culturally informed intervention on abused, suicidal African American women

Abstract

This study examined (a) the relative efficacy of a culturally sensitive empowerment group intervention (Nia) aimed at increasing 3 protective factors-self-esteem, hopefulness, and effectiveness of obtaining resources-versus treatment as usual (TAU) for low-income, abused African American women who recently had attempted suicide and (b) the impact of participants' readiness to change with regard to their abusive relationship and suicidal behavior on their levels of each protective factor in the 2 conditions. The sample included 89 African American women who reported intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure and a recent suicide attempt. Multivariate general linear modeling revealed that those in Nia showed greater improvements in self-esteem, but not in hopefulness or effectiveness of obtaining resources. However, significant interactions emerged in which participants who were "less ready to change" (i.e., earlier in the stages of change process) their IPV situation and suicidal behavior endorsed greater levels of hopefulness and perceived effectiveness of obtaining resources, respectively, following Nia. Findings suggest that abused, suicidal African American women who are more reluctant initially to changing their abusive situation and suicidal behavior may benefit from even a brief, culturally informed intervention.