Childhood Adversity and Racial Discrimination Forecast Suicidal and Death Ideation Among Emerging Adult Black Men: A Longitudinal Analysis

Objectives: Disproportionate exposure to childhood adversity and the effects of racial discrimination take a toll on Black American men’s mental health. Despite increasing rates of suicidal behaviors and thoughts among young adult, Black American men, few longitudinal studies examine their risk for suicidal and death ideation (SDI). We tested a developmental model linking childhood adversity (experiences of deprivation and threatening experiences) and emerging adult exposure to racial discrimination to increases in SDI and examined a potential mechanism for these effects, negative relational schemas. Method: A sample of 504 Black men (M_age = 20.7) from rural Georgia were recruited with respondent-driven sampling and completed a baseline survey. Men participated in two additional follow-up surveys (M_age = 21.9 and M_age = 23.5). Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Results: Analyses largely supported the proposed model. Childhood adversities were associated directly with reports of SDI. Childhood deprivation indirectly predicted SDI via negative schemas (β = 0.03, 95% CI [.014,.046]). Racial discrimination also indirectly predicted SDI via negative relational schemas (β = 0.01, 95% CI [.001,.018]). Conclusion: Study results suggest that clinical and preventive interventions for suicidality should target the influence of racism and adverse experiences and the negative relational schemas they induce.