Child Abuse—Suicide Resilience Link in African American Women: Interpersonal Psychological Mediators

Lucy J. Allbaugh, Ivonne Andrea Florez, Danielle Render Turmaud, Nadia Quyyum, Sarah E. Dunn, Jungjin Kim, Nadine J. Kaslow

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior (IPTS) is an exemplary model for understanding the desire for suicidal behavior. As such, it is important to explore its applicability in ethnoracial minority groups at increasing risk for suicidal behavior, such as low-income, African American women. Guided by the IPTS, the current study used 5 parallel mediation models to examine if there are links between individual types of childhood abuse (physical, sexual, emotional) and suicide resilience, and between cumulative abuse (higher levels of abuse inclusive of all three types, more types of severe levels of abuse) and suicide resilience, and whether the three components of the model (thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, acquired capability for suicide) mediate these associations. In a sample of low-income, African American women (n = 179), higher levels of each of the 3 types of childhood abuse and cumulative abuse correlated with lower levels of suicide resilience. Parallel mediation analyses using bootstrapping techniques revealed that increased acquired capability for suicide mediated all 5 associations and perceived burdensomeness mediated 3 of the links (emotional abuse, cumulative abuse, and cumulative abuse–severe with suicide resilience). Attention is paid to the clinical implications of the findings in terms of attending to the acquired capability for suicide and suicide resilience in the assessment and treatment of low-income, suicidal, African American women.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1055-1071
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma
Volume26
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 26 2017
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Taylor & Francis.

Keywords

  • Child abuse
  • interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide
  • suicide resilience

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