Religion and Suicidal Behavior Among Black Americans

描述（由申请人提供）：对于降低黑人自杀或企图自杀风险的保护性因素，我们所知甚少。特别是，宗教与黑人自杀风险降低之间的联系从未在全国代表性样本中得到证实，特别是在考虑到种族群体差异的样本中。黑人自杀研究中的死亡主要是由于没有足够多的美国黑人数据集来得出有意义的结论。这项拟议的研究旨在对5191名非裔美国人和加勒比黑人的全国代表性样本中，宗教参与和精神活动是否与减少严重自杀行为（如自杀未遂、自杀计划）的风险相关进行全面检查。公共卫生意义在于明确与较低自杀风险相关的宗教因素，这将为随后的自杀预防干预措施和战略提供信息。本研究旨在通过以下四个方面对宗教和灵性对非裔美国人自杀行为影响的研究做出重要贡献：(1)利用美国生活全国调查（National Survey of American Life [NSAL]）这一具有全国代表性的大型数据集的优势；(2)确定宗教信仰和精神信仰是否与黑人自杀企图和严重自杀计划风险的降低有关；(3)调查来自教会成员和家庭成员的非正式社会支持对降低黑人自杀企图和严重自杀计划风险的相对影响。以及非正式社会支持（例如，教会和家庭社会支持）是否以及通过何种机制可以调节或调解宗教信仰对黑人自杀行为的影响。使用的数据分析方法包括回归、逻辑回归、多标称逻辑回归、Cox比例风险模型和结构方程模型。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Remarkably little is known about protective factors that reduce Blacks' risk for suicide or attempted suicide. In particular, the link between religion and suicide risk reduction in blacks has never been demonstrated with a nationally representative sample, particularly one that also takes into account ethnic groups' differences. The death in suicide research among blacks is due primarily to not having data set with large enough numbers of black Americans from which to draw meaningful conclusions. The proposed research aims to provide a comprehensive examination of whether religious participation and spirituality are correlated with reductions in the risk for serious suicidal behavior (e.g., attempted suicide, suicide planning) in a nationally representative sample of 5,191 African Americans and Black Caribbeans. The public health significance lies in specifying religious factors related to lower suicide risk, which will inform subsequent suicide prevention interventions and strategies. The present study is designed to make four important contributions to the advancement of research on religion and spirituality's effects on suicidal behavior among African Americans, namely by: (1) capitalizing on the strengths of a large, nationally representative data set, the National Survey of American Life [NSAL]; (2) determining whether religiosity and spirituality are associated with reductions in the risk for suicide attempts and serious suicide planning by Blacks; and (3) investigating the relative effects of informal social support from both church members and family members on reductions in the risk for suicide attempts and serious suicide planning by Blacks. And whether and through what mechanisms informal social support (e.g., church and family social support) may moderate or mediate the pathways of religiosity to black suicidal behavior. The data analytic approaches to be used include regression, logistic regression, multi-nominal logistic regression, Cox proportional hazard model, and structural equation modeling. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Institute of Medicine report (2002), "Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative," highlighted understanding the protective factors for suicidal behavior among Blacks, such as religion, as an emergent public health research priority.