Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Oct-Dec;22(4):584-595.
doi: 10.1080/13811118.2017.1387207. Epub 2018 Jan 24.

The Association Between Racial Discrimination and Suicidality among African-American Adolescents and Young Adults

Suraj Arshanapally, Kimberly B Werner, Carolyn E Sartor, Kathleen K Bucholz

The Association Between Racial Discrimination and Suicidality among African-American Adolescents and Young Adults

Suraj Arshanapally et al. Arch Suicide Res. 2017 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

This study assessed the association between racial discrimination and suicidality (ideation, plan, or attempt) in African-American adolescents and young adults (n = 806, mean age = 17.9 years). Structured psychiatric phone interviews were conducted in offspring and their mothers in a high-risk alcoholism family study. Logistic regression analyses using offspring's own racial discrimination as a predictor revealed elevated odds of suicidality, even after adjusting for correlated psychiatric conditions (OR = 1.76) but was reduced to non-significance after adjusting for maternal experiences of racial discrimination (OR = 3.19 in males), depression, and problem drinking. Findings support a link between racial discrimination and suicidality in African-American youth that, for males, is partially explained by maternal racial discrimination.

Keywords: African-Americans; adolescents; racial discrimination; suicidality; young adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Branscombe NR, Schmitt MT, Harvey RD. Perceiving pervasive discrimination among African Americans: Implications for group identification and well-being. Journal of personality and social psychology. 1999;77(1):135.
    1. Brezo J, Paris J, Turecki G. Personality traits as correlates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide completion: A systematic review. Acta Pscyhiatrica Scandinavica. 2006;113:180–206. - PubMed
    1. Bucholz K, Cadoret R, Cloninger CR, Dinwiddie SH, Hesselbrock VM, Nurnberger JI, Schuckit MA. A new, semi-structured psychiatric interview for use in genetic linkage studies: a report on the reliability of the SSAGA. Journal on Studies of Alcohol and Drugs. 1994;55:149–158. - PubMed
    1. Castle K, Conner K, Kaukeinen K, Tu X. Perceived Racism, Discrimination, and Acculturation in Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts among Black Young Adults. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 2011;41(3):342–351. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Conner KR, Hesselbrock VM, Meldrum SC, Schuckit MA, Bucholz KK, Gamble SA, Kramer J. Transitions to, and Correlates of, Suicidal Ideation, Plans, and Unplanned and Planned Suicide Attempts Among 3,729 Men and Women With Alcohol Dependence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2007;68(5):654–662. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources