Suicide Acceptability and Religious Well-Being: A Comparative Analysis in African American Suicide Attempters and Non-Attempters

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the relationship between suicide acceptability and religious well-being, and to investigate the differences that may exist between African American suicide attempters and non-attempters on these two concepts. Two hundred low-income, African Americans were administered self-report questionnaires measuring suicide acceptability and religious well-being. Findings indicated that suicide acceptability was negatively related to religious well-being for both suicide attempters and non-attempters. There was also a significant difference between these two groups on suicide acceptability and religious well-being. Results were consistent with previous research that suggests that African Americans who attempt suicide endorse higher levels of suicide acceptability and lower levels of religious well-being than do their nonattempter counterparts. These findings have important implications for culturally-competent community programming and community mental health programs that serve low-income ethnic minority populations.