Racist Experiences at School and Suicidal Behaviors: A Latent Class Analysis Among a National Sample of Black High School Students

Background and Purpose: Alarmingly, there has been a national increase in suicide rates among Black youth. Black youth populations exposed to racism in schools are at an elevated risk for suicidal ideation and behaviors. Despite this increase, there is limited person-centered research examining racism at school for Black youth and associations with suicidal ideation and behaviors. Using the Structural Racism and Suicide Prevention for Ethnoracially Minoritized Youth Framework, we sought to identify latent classes of experiences of racism in the school environment among U.S. Black high school students. We explored response patterns based on the four levels of racism in the framework: intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural racism. We also sought to examine predictors of class membership and investigate the relationship between these latent classes and suicidal ideation and behaviors.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2023 Youth Risk Behavior National High School Survey. The sample (N=1,791) comprised Black/African high school students. Measures included racism at school (eight indicators), covariates (age, sex), and outcomes (suicidal ideation, suicidal plans, and suicide attempts). Analyses were completed using RStudio and Mplus. We computed descriptive statistics and then applied latent class analysis (LCA) on the indicators to uncover population heterogeneity. After deciding on the number of classes, the covariates and outcome variables were included using the three-step approach to explore associations among the identified latent classes.

Results: Descriptive statistics reveal that 52% of our sample were male participants, and their average age was 16 years. Approximately 18.9% reported experiencing suicidal thoughts, 15.1% had a suicide plan, and 10.5% had attempted suicide. The LCA revealed three distinct classes: (1) Distancers (23.85%, n=427) - highest probability of intrapersonal racism and cultural racism; (2) Confronters (13.05%, n=234) - highest probability for interpersonal racism and high experiences of intrapersonal, institutional, and cultural racism; (3) Problem-solvers (63.09%, n=1,130) - lowest probability of racist experiences across all four types of racism categories. The Distancers had the high est likelihood of experiencing suicidal thoughts (84.3%), plans (77.8%), and attempts (54.7%). Males were more likely to be Distancers versus Problem-solvers. Among the Confronters, younger adolescents and females were more likely to be in this group than the Problem-solvers group. Females were less likely to have suicidal ideations.

Conclusion and Implications: Black youth who are dealing with intrapersonal and cultural racism in school settings may have an increased risk for suicidal ideation and behaviors.These intrapersonal relationships include a low sense of belonging and negative relationships with school personnel and peers. Cultural racism includes negative attitudes and beliefs about Black youth that often lead to them being unfairly disciplined and sanctioned versus treated for mental health needs. Anti-racist efforts to dismantle structural racism within schools are needed for transformative change and suicide prevention strategies. Additionally, interventions that center on Radical Healing and Hope as a way to counter racist experiences may help to decrease school-based harms.