Stability, correlates, and consequences of suicidal ideation among black youth

Background: Suicidal behavior has become a significant issue for black youth, as suicide rates have more than doubled over the past three decades among this group. Suicidal ideation is a major risk factor for suicide attempt, yet critical research gaps exist in our understanding of such ideation among black adolescents because population-based studies are rare. We examine the stability, correlates, and consequences of suicidal ideation among over 3,000 African American adolescents using longitudinal data.

Methods: Our data come from the Mobile Youth Survey (MYS), a multi-cohort longitudinal study of youths growing up in economically impoverished neighborhoods in Mobile, Alabama, and covers the four-year period from 2008-2011. The MYS contains over 400 items covering a number of psychosocial and risk-related variables, making it especially appropriate for assessing suicidal ideation and related variables. We document rates of suicidal ideation and attempts and assess the stability of the measures by age and gender over the period. Using multiple regression analyses we test relationships between ideation at baseline and several psychosocial and behavioral outcomes (e.g., hopelessness, school grades, fighting, etc.) in later years.

Results: Approximately 30% of the youths reported thinking about suicide at least once over the four-year period. Consistent thoughts of suicide over time are rare, however. The consequences of suicidal ideation vary markedly, especially for younger adolescents (i.e., 10-12-year-olds).

Conclusions: A more discriminating measure of suicidal ideation may be needed to tailor interventions aimed at reducing suicide attempts among black adolescents.