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Suicide, negative interaction and emotional support among black Americans

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

This study is the first to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional support and negative interaction with family members and suicide ideation and attempts among African American and Caribbean black adults.

Method

Cross-sectional epidemiologic data from the National Survey of American Life and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between perceived emotional support and negative interaction and suicide behaviors among 3,570 African Americans and 1,621 Caribbean blacks age 18 and older.

Results

Multivariate analyses found that perceived emotional support was associated with lower odds of suicide ideation and attempts for African Americans and Caribbean blacks. Negative interaction with family was associated with greater odds of suicide ideation among African Americans and Caribbean blacks. Ethnicity moderated the impact of emotional support and negative interaction on suicide attempts; among Caribbean blacks, those who reported more frequent emotional support from their family had a significantly greater reduced risk for suicide attempts than African Americans. The effect of negative interaction on suicide attempts was also more pronounced for Caribbean blacks compared to African Americans.

Discussion

Negative interaction was a risk factor for suicide ideation and emotional support was a protective factor for attempts and ideation. These associations were observed even after controlling for any mental disorder. The findings demonstrate the importance of social relationships as both risk and protective factors for suicide and ethnic differences in suicidal ideation and attempts among black Americans.

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Acknowledgments

Data collection on which this study is based was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; U01-MH57716), the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the University of Michigan. Preparation of this manuscript was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to KDL (R01-MH084963), and the National Institute on Aging to LMC and RJT (R01 AG18782), and RJT (P30AG1528), and from the National Institute of Mental Health to SJ, LMC and RJT (R01-MH082807).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Southern California, 669 W. 34th Street, MRF 214, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0411, USA

    Karen D. Lincoln

  2. Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA

    Karen D. Lincoln

  3. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

    Robert Joseph Taylor, Linda M. Chatters & Sean Joe

  4. School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

    Linda M. Chatters

  5. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

    Robert Joseph Taylor, Linda M. Chatters & Sean Joe

  6. Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

    Sean Joe

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  1. Karen D. Lincoln
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  2. Robert Joseph Taylor
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  3. Linda M. Chatters
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  4. Sean Joe
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Correspondence to Karen D. Lincoln.

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Lincoln, K.D., Taylor, R.J., Chatters, L.M. et al. Suicide, negative interaction and emotional support among black Americans. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 1947–1958 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0512-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0512-y

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