Suicide, negative interaction and emotional support among black Americans

This study is the first to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional support and negative interaction with
family members and suicide ideation and attempts among African American and Caribbean black adults.

Cross-sectional epidemiologic data from the National Survey of American Life and multivariable logistic regression analyses
were used to examine the association between perceived emotional support and negative interaction and suicide behaviors among
3,570 African Americans and 1,621 Caribbean blacks age 18 and older.

Multivariate analyses found that perceived emotional support was associated with lower odds of suicide ideation and attempts
for African Americans and Caribbean blacks. Negative interaction with family was associated with greater odds of suicide ideation
among African Americans and Caribbean blacks. Ethnicity moderated the impact of emotional support and negative interaction
on suicide attempts; among Caribbean blacks, those who reported more frequent emotional support from their family had a significantly
greater reduced risk for suicide attempts than African Americans. The effect of negative interaction on suicide attempts was
also more pronounced for Caribbean blacks compared to African Americans.

Negative interaction was a risk factor for suicide ideation and emotional support was a protective factor for attempts and
ideation. These associations were observed even after controlling for any mental disorder. The findings demonstrate the importance
of social relationships as both risk and protective factors for suicide and ethnic differences in suicidal ideation and attempts
among black Americans.