Types of Racism-Based Experiences and Suicide Risk Among Black Emerging Adults

Background and Purpose: Suicide risk (thinking about, planning, and attempting) has become a growing public health concern for Black emerging adult college students in America due statistically significant recent changes in suicide rates among young Black Americans during the period during 2018-2021. Suicide rates increased recent 23% increased rates among this population. A growing body of Suicide rates among Black persons aged 10–24 and 25-44 years increased about 37 and 23 percent respectively during this period, while Whites experienced an overall age- adjusted rate decline. A growing body of evidence makes plain that exposure to racism-based events also represents a major public health problem for Black emerging adults in the United States (U.S.) given the widespread prevalence of such events and related mental and behavioral health consequences. This cross-sectional study investigated the type of racism-based experiences (i.e. hostile racism, aversive-hostile racism and avoidant racism) among Black emerging adults and its relationship to suicide risk.

Method: Computer assisted surveys were administered to a sample (N = 300) of Black emerging adult college students 18 to 29 years of age. Lifetime suicidal behavior was assessed using questions from the National Comorbidity Survey. The 18-item Classes of Racism Frequency of Racial Experiences (CRFRE) measure was used to assess the frequency of an individual’s exposure to three classes of racism. Univariate, bivariate, and binomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between the sociodemographic, trauma, mental health, and the abovementioned racism factors and lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. All the analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.

Results: Over two quarters of participants reported experiencing moderately high levels of anxiety, exposure to hostile racism, exposure to aversive-hostile racism, and exposure to avoidant racism. Regression analysis revealed that increase in lifetime trauma was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation (AOR=4.14; 95% CI 1.90, 8.99), an increase in exposure to hostile racism was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation (AOR=1.15; 95% CI 1.06, 1.25), and an increase in exposure to aversive-hostile racism was associated with an reduced likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation (AOR=0.90; 95% CI 0.83, 0.96). Only an increase in exposure to hostile racism was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing a suicide attempt (AOR=1.13; 95% CI 1.03, 1.24).

Conclusions and Implications: Trauma including multiple of racism-based traumatic experiences, especially hostile racism, significantly elevates Black emerging adults suicide risk and should take seriously. These findings are novel and the implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.