title: Extended family and friendship support and suicidality among African Americans.
abstract: This study examined the relationship between informal social support from extended family and friends and suicidality among African Americans.
  
  
  
  Logistic regression analysis was based on a nationally representative sample of African Americans from the National Survey of American Life (N = 3263). Subjective closeness and frequency of contact with extended family and friends and negative family interaction were examined in relation to lifetime suicide ideation and attempts.
  
  
  
  Subjective closeness to family and frequency of contact with friends were negatively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Subjective closeness to friends and negative family interaction were positively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Significant interactions between social support and negative interaction showed that social support buffers against the harmful effects of negative interaction on suicidality.
  
  
  
  Findings are discussed in relation to the functions of positive and negative social ties in suicidality.
authors.affiliation: Edward R. Roybal Institute On Aging, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, 1150 South Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, USA. nguy333@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Ann W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Robert Joseph
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chatters
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Harry Owen
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Edward R. Roybal Institute On Aging, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, 1150 South Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, USA.
authors.forename: Karen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Lincoln
authors.affiliation: Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Uchechi A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Family; Friendship; Informal social support; Suicide