Race Differences in Strains Associated With Suicidal Behavior Among Adolescents

• NCJ Number: 197895
• Journal: Youth & Society Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: December 2002 Pages: 232-256
• Author(s): Toni Terling Watt; Susan F. Sharp
• Date Published: December 2002
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): P01-HD31921
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined social strains that contribute to suicidal behavior among adolescents according to race.

Abstract

The study analyzed the adolescent health data collected as part of the Add Health Project, a large school-based study of the health-related behaviors of adolescents in grades 7 through 12. Add Health involves measures of a variety of health behaviors, including suicidality, along with the identification of correlates of such behaviors. The dependent variable for the current study was self-reported attempted suicide. Independent variables involved dimensions of status strain (family socioeconomic status, current and expected achievements of the adolescent, and interpersonal status) and several measures of relational strain. The latter measures included how much the participants perceived that their parents cared about them, how much their mother cared about them, how much their father cared about them, whether their family understood them, and how much they wanted to leave home. Participants were asked to indicate their race through a closed-ended question on the survey. Race differences in social strain were examined by using means tests. Between 2 percent and 6 percent of the approximately 16,000 adolescents interviewed reported that they had attempted suicide in the past year. The highest percentage reported involved white females, and the lowest percentage was for Black males. Consistent with the gender literature, suicide attempts for females were significantly higher than for males for both Blacks and whites; however, for both males and females, race differences were not statistically significant. Still, the status and relational strains experienced by the youth differed by race, with Blacks experiencing more of the strains traditionally associated with suicidal behavior. The fact that race differences were not statistically significant in suicide attempts suggests that Blacks do not respond to status and relational strains with suicidal behavior as often as whites. Theoretical and intervention implications are discussed regarding the contextual nature of suicide among adolescents. 2 tables and 71 references