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Race, Family Conflict and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among 9–10-Year-Old American Children

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  • Shervin Assari

    (Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
    Department of Family Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA)

  • Shanika Boyce

    (Department of Pediatrics, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA)

  • Mohsen Bazargan

    (Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
    Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA)

  • Cleopatra H. Caldwell

    (Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA
    Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA)

Abstract

Family conflict is known to operate as a major risk factor for children’s suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). However, it is unknown whether this effect is similar or different in Black and White children. Objectives: We compared Black and White children for the association between family conflict and STBs in a national sample of 9–10-year-old American children. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. This study included 9918 White or Black children between the ages of 9 and 10 living in married households. The predictor variable was family conflict. Race was the moderator. The outcome variable was STBs, treated as a count variable, reflecting positive STB items that were endorsed. Covariates included ethnicity, sex, age, immigration status, family structure, parental education, and parental employment, and household income. Poisson regression was used for data analysis. Results: Of all participants, 7751 were Whites, and 2167 were Blacks. In the pooled sample and in the absence of interaction terms, high family conflict was associated with higher STBs. A statistically significant association was found between Black race and family conflict, suggesting that the association between family conflict and STBs is stronger in Black than White children. Conclusion: The association between family conflict and STBs is stronger in Black than White children. Black children with family conflict may be at a higher risk of STBs than White children with the same family conflict level. These findings align with the literature on the more significant salience of social relations as determinants of mental health of Black than White people. Reducing family conflict should be regarded a significant element of suicide prevention for Black children in the US.

Suggested Citation

  • Shervin Assari & Shanika Boyce & Mohsen Bazargan & Cleopatra H. Caldwell, 2021. "Race, Family Conflict and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among 9–10-Year-Old American Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5399-:d:557217
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Neal Krause, 2002. "Church-Based Social Support and Health in Old Age," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 57(6), pages 332-347.
    2. Neal Krause, 2016. "Assessing Supportive Social Exchanges Inside and Outside Religious Institutions: Exploring Variations among Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 131-146, August.
    3. Hiroko Akiyama & Toni Antonucci & Keiko Takahashi & Elizabeth S. Langfahl, 2003. "Negative Interactions in Close Relationships Across the Life Span," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 58(2), pages 70-79.
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