An Examination of Suicidal Behavior among Black College Students with Exposure to Police Violence

Bibliographic Data

ID10554657
AuthorsHannah S Szlyk (0000-0001-7337-8475, Washington University in St. Louis, corresponding author), Hannah Szlyk (School of Medicine, Washington University PhD, LCSW, is instructor, Department of Psychiatry, , 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO, USA), Robert O Motley (0000-0002-9963-0883, Boston College), Robert Motley (School of Social Work, Boston College PhD, assistant professor, , Chestnut Hill, MA, USA), Sean Joe (0000-0002-6461-5501, The Brown School, Washington University PhD, is Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development, , St. Louis, MO, USA), Lucy Nonas-Barnes (School of Social Work, Rutgers University MSSW, LMSW, is a doctoral student, , New Brunswick, NJ, USA), Enoch Kordjo Azasu (0000-0002-1866-7765, Washington University in St. Louis), Enoch Azasu (Washington University MSW, is a doctoral student, The Brown School, , St. Louis, MO, USA)
Year2022
Volume68
Issue1
Pages18-27
Publication date2022-11-11
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Work (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-8046 • E-ISSN: 1545-6846
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/sw/swac046
PMID36367833
OpenAlexW4308767347
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited33

There is limited research about suicidal behaviors among Black emerging adults (peak age of suicide risk) who report exposure to police violence. The current study applies an integrated approach to examine individual, immediate environment, and community-based risk and protective factors of suicide among Black college students who reported previous exposure to police violence. A purposive sample of Black college students (N = 300) was analyzed using bivariate analyses and binary logistic regression. Outcome variables investigated were lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Twenty-eight percent of participants reported lifetime suicidal ideation and 14 percent reported lifetime attempts. Female students were significantly more likely to report lifetime suicidal ideation and recent symptoms of anxiety and to engage in emotional social support than male peers. Logistic regression results demonstrated that higher income and greater depression symptoms were associated with lower reporting of lifetime suicidal ideation. Reporting of more grit, the trait of perseverance and passion for long-term goals, was associated with a lower reporting of both lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Findings have implications for how social workers in higher education are encouraged to address suicidal behavior among Black students, including the cultivation of grit

Anxiety · Logistic regression · Medical emergency · Poison control · Psychiatry · Suicidal ideation · Suicide attempt · Suicide prevention · Clinical Psychology · Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation · Medicine · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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