Profiles of Suicidal Ideation Among Black Male Adolescents: Examination of Individual and Socioecological Predictors

OBJECTIVE

The current study utilized latent profile analysis to identify distinct profiles of suicidal ideation among Black male adolescents and compared profiles on socioecological determinants of suicide and psychological symptoms.

METHOD

A sample of 457 Black male adolescents (mean age = 15.31, SD = 1.26) completed self-report measures of suicidal ideation, racial discrimination, community violence exposure, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

RESULTS

Results of the latent profile analysis revealed a three-profile model: a low ideation profile, with low levels of all forms of suicidal ideation; a general death ideation profile with elevated general thoughts of death and dying; and a high, concealed ideation profile with high levels on all suicidal ideation items, except communicating the ideation to others. ANOVAs revealed that levels of psychological symptoms were significantly different for each profile, with the high, concealed ideation profile showing the highest levels. The low ideation profile had significantly lower scores than the two other profiles on community violence exposure, but the other two profiles did not differ significantly from one another. Further, the general death ideation profile had significantly higher scores on racial discrimination than the other two profiles, but the other two profiles did not differ significantly from one another.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study supports recent socio-cultural theories of suicidal ideation and behavior in Black youth and highlights the need for increased access to care and services for Black boys who are exposed to socioecological factors that heighten suicidal ideation.