Black Youth Suicidality Through The Lens Of Intersectionality & Policy

Abstract

The rate of suicidality (i.e., suicide ideation, nonfatal suicide, and death by suicide) is increasing among Black youth at an alarming rate compared to their non-Black counterparts, pointing to the pivotal demand to investigate the risk and protective factors associated with suicidality in this community. However, there is a notable gap in scholarship examining Black youth suicidality with thoughtful consideration of intersectionality (i.e., interlocking systems of oppression such as racism and ableism) and legal epidemiology (i.e., the examination of law and policy as a factor in the etiology of disease and injury). This dissertation examined Black youth suicidality through the lens of intersectionality and legal epidemiology to inform future policies and practices that are more attentive to the priorities and needs of Black youth and can thereby reverse the trends in the elevated risk of suicidality in these communities. Specifically, this dissertation: 1) collaborated with Black experts to identify the most influential policies in the context of Black youth suicidality, 2) documented the extent to which suicidality and social identities are captured in high school youth surveys across 50 states, and 3) characterized suicidality among multiply marginalized Black youth attending 8th through 12th grade in Washington.