Traditionally, Black Americans have faced a significantly lower risk of suicide compared to their white counterparts. But increasing factors like bullying, community violence , and "neglectful" parenting are contributing to a broader trend of mental health crises among youth in disadvantaged communities, according to a new study led by Case Western Reserve University. The key finding: an "alarming" increase in suicidality among Black youth in American cities.
"Our findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions that address the multiple, intersecting factors contributing to this crisis," said the study's primary researcher Dexter Voisin, dean of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve. The research, published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, surveyed 114 Black adolescents and their caregivers on Chicago's South Side between 2013-14. Risk factors identified include depression, bullying, exposure to community violence and "neglectful" parenting.
The study's use of a matched data set—comparing perspectives from both adolescents and their caregivers—made the research particularly rigorous, Voisin said. Other takeaways: "The results of this research are generalizable to other cities and other areas with similar size and similar populations," he said. "The story of the South Side of Chicago is also the story of the East Side of Cleveland.
It's also the same story for low-income Black kids living in Detroi.