ERIC Number: EJ1489129
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-None
EISSN: EISSN-2155-5834
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Examining the Associations between Racial Identity and Suicidal Ideation among Black Youth
Aashna Shah; Kennedy Balzen; Ryan M. Hill; Danielle Busby; Jennifer Brown; Estefania Fernandez; Ntsoaki F. Tadi; Carla Sharp
Journal of Applied Research on Children, v14 n1 Article 7 2025
Against the background of increasing rates of suicide among Black youth, researchers have identified the relation Black youth have to their identity as an important factor that may provide insight into the risk of suicide in this population. Preliminary work suggests that racial identity might serve as a protective factor for psychological distress, though the literature is somewhat mixed, especially when suicidality is an outcome. Moreover, this research has predominantly concentrated on adults and/or community samples of youth. As yet, the extent to which the attitudes and beliefs of Black youth regarding their Black identity associate with current or past suicide ideation (SI) or behavior is under-investigated. The current study uses the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity-Teen (MIBI-t) to assess the relationship between aspects of Black identity with depression and suicide ideation. Data were collected from a sample of 90 Black youth between the ages of 11-17 with a current or history of suicidal behaviors and/or moderate levels of depression. Results indicate that Black youth with greater centrality (i.e., the centrality of race to one's overall self-concept) were more likely to endorse greater symptoms of depression and SI. However, the association between centrality and SI was moderated by perceived racism as a risk factor for suicide, such that this link was only significant at moderate and high levels of endorsement of racism as a risk factor. Overall, findings suggest that ethnic centrality and racism together play a role in SI among Black youth, and future work is needed to further explore these associations. [Note: The publication year (2023) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct publication year is 2025.]
Descriptors: African Americans, Racial Identification, Suicide, Psychological Patterns, Adolescents, Depression (Psychology), Self Concept, Racism, Risk
Children At Risk. 2900 Weslayan Street Suite 400, Houston, TX 77027. Tel: 713-869-7740; Fax: 713-869-3409; e-mail: jarc@childrenatrisk.org; Web site: https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 5R21MH12857002
Author Affiliations: N/A

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