Assets as Predictors of Suicide Attempts in African American Inner-city Youths

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether developmental assets and risk-taking behaviors, as measured by the Search Institute instrument, were related to attempted suicide in African American, inner-city youth. METHODS: Survey of 336 African American, inner-city youths. RESULTS: Significant odds ratios were found for 4 asset questions and for 11 risk-taking behavior questions by attempted suicide behavior. The odds ratios ranged from 2.4 to 6.4 in magnitude. The percent of variation in suicide-attempt behavior explained by the asset questions (14.6% and 19.6%) was explained by the risk-taking behavior/high-risk behavior pattern questions. CONCLUSIONS: The risk-taking behavior items were better predictors of suicide behavior than were the developmental asset items for the African American youth.