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Protective Factors Against Suicide Attempt Risk Among African American Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

Protective factors (hope, spirituality, self-efficacy, coping, social support–family, social support–friends, and effectiveness of obtaining resources) against suicide attempts were examined in economically, educationally, and socially disadvantaged African American women (100 suicide attempters, 100 nonattempters) who had experienced recent intimate partner violence. Significant positive associations were found between all possible pairs of protective factors. Bivariate logistic regressions revealed that higher scores on each of the seven protective factors predicted nonattempter status; multivariate logistic regressions indicated that higher scores on measures of hope or social support–family showed unique predictive value for nonattempter status. Further, the multivariate model accurately predicted suicide attempt status 69.5% of the time. Partial support was found for a cumulative protective model hypothesizing a linear relationship between the number of protective factors endorsed and decreased risk for suicide attempts. Implications of these findings for community-based preventive intervention efforts and future research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia

    Lindi A. Meadows & Gregory J. Jurkovic

  2. Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Grady Health System, Emory University School of Medicine, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303

    Nadine J. Kaslow

  3. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

    Martie P. Thompson

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  1. Lindi A. Meadows
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  2. Nadine J. Kaslow
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  3. Martie P. Thompson
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  4. Gregory J. Jurkovic
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Correspondence to Nadine J. Kaslow.

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Meadows, L.A., Kaslow, N.J., Thompson, M.P. et al. Protective Factors Against Suicide Attempt Risk Among African American Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence. Am J Community Psychol 36, 109–121 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-005-6236-3

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