Piloting a Culturally Adapted Suicide Prevention for Black Students in Chicago

Suicide has been the third leading cause of death for Black youth in the U.S since the 1980s and persists as a leading cause of death for Black youth today. For example, in 2018 suicide was reported as the 2nd leading cause of death among Black Americans ages 10 to14 years old. Findings yielded from recent queries indicate that the gap in suicides among Black males and female youth has narrowed in recent years. Despite these disturbing trends, a dearth persists in our understanding of the factors that contribute to and prevent against suicide in Black youth, thus diminishing researchers' ability to effectively detect suicide risk in this particular population. This project aims to redress this gap by proposing the cultural adaptation of an existing suicide prevention intervention, the Signs of Suicide (SOS) prevention program, for Black middle school students. Our team will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial among a sample of Black middle school students to assess feasibility and examine underlying mechanisms that contribute to suicidality among Black youth. Intervention content will be adapted to assess how topics of racial identity, racial socialization, and racial discrimination uniquely impact Black youth's mental health experiences and risk for suicide. Measures of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempt will be assessed at pre-test, post-test, and 3-months after the intervention. Findings derived from this project will contribute to public health priorities by offering unique insight into the factors that either prevent or promote suicide among Black youth and could be replicated in other schools serving Black students across the nation.