Recent suicide rates among Black American emerging adults have increased sharply, outpacing other racial groups. Stigma plays a critical role in shaping risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors; however, little research that has examined the ways in which perceptions of perceived public stigma and self-stigma/prejudice are related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Black American emerging adults. A sample of 1,224 Black American emerging adults from the general population aged 18-29 were recruited through Qualtrics Panels. Suicidal ideation and attempts were assessed using adapted items from the World Health Organization’s suicide screen. Both public and self-stigma/prejudice were evaluated using modified versions of the Devaluation and Discrimination Scale. We used multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, health insurance, and treatment utilization. Among those who reported needing help for mental health concerns, higher perceived public stigma was associated with greater 12-month suicidal ideation, whereas self-stigma was most strongly associated with 12-month suicide attempts; these associations were attenuated or absent among those who did not report need, except for a pronounced association between prejudice and recent attempts in sensitivity models with sparse data. Our findings underscore the importance of addressing both perceived public stigma alongside self-stigma/prejudice in prevention efforts to reduce suicide risk in Black emerging adults. Future research is needed to explore mechanisms underlying these associations and to develop targeted prevention strategies.
Oh et al. (Sun,) studied this question.