Racial differences in suicidality in an older urban population.
OBJECTIVE
This study used epidemiological data of older African Americans and Caucasians living in an urban community to compare those factors associated with active or passive suicidal ideation in each racial group.


METHODS
Using 1990 census data for Brooklyn, New York, we attempted to interview all cognitively intact adults aged 55 or older in randomly selected block groups. The sample consisted of 214 Whites and 860 Blacks. We adapted George's social antecedent model to examine 19 independent variables; the dependent variable was based on lifetime history of passive or active suicidal ideation (hereafter, suicidality). We weighted the sample by race and gender. To control for sampling design effects, we used SUDAAN for data analysis.


RESULTS
Whites reported higher prevalence than Blacks for current suicidality (5.8% vs 2.3%) and lifetime suicidality (14.8% vs 10.2%). None of the differences were significant. In logistic regression analysis conducted for each race, four variables were associated with suicidality within both races: higher depressive symptom scores, higher anxiety symptom scores, copes by using medications, and lower religiosity. Two variables were associated with suicidality only among Whites: higher use of spiritualists and copes by keeping calm. One variable, greater use of doctors for mental health problems, was significant only among Blacks.


CONCLUSIONS
There were no racial differences in the prevalence of suicidality. Virtually all of the factors associated with suicidality are potentially ameliorable. Among both racial groups, suicidality is likely to be impacted by addressing depressive and anxiety symptoms and, when appropriate, by encouraging various coping strategies, especially religiosity.
Cohen
Carl I
CI
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Box 1203, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA. carl.cohen@downstate.edu
Colemon
Yolonda
Y
Yaffee
Robert
R
Casimir
Georges J
GJ
D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D009519:New York City; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D001741:Black or African American