Assets as predictors of suicide attempts in African American inner-city youths.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether developmental assets and risk-taking behaviors, as measured by the Search Institute instrument, were related to attempted suicide in African American, inner-city youth.


METHODS
Survey of 336 African American, inner-city youths.


RESULTS
Significant odds ratios were found for 4 asset questions and for 11 risk-taking behavior questions by attempted suicide behavior. The odds ratios ranged from 2.4 to 6.4 in magnitude. The percent of variation in suicide-attempt behavior explained by the asset questions (14.6% and 19.6%) was explained by the risk-taking behavior/high-risk behavior pattern questions.


CONCLUSIONS
The risk-taking behavior items were better predictors of suicide behavior than were the developmental asset items for the African American youth.
Price
J H
JH
Department of Public Health and Rehabilitative Services, University of Toledo, OH 43606, USA. JPrice@utnet.utoledo.edu
Dake
J A
JA
Kucharewski
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012944:Social Support; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology