Social Integration and Suicide‐Related Ideation from a Social Network Perspective: A Longitudinal Study among Inner‐City African Americans |
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| Authors: | S Janet Kuramoto PhD MHS Holly C Wilcox PhD Carl A Latkin PhD |
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| Institution: | 1. American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education, , Arlington, VA, USA;2. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, , Baltimore, MD, USA;3. Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, , Baltimore, MD, USA;4. Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, , Baltimore, MD, USA |
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| Abstract: | Social network density, as measured by the extent to which network members know each other, was examined to determine whether it is associated with suicide‐related ideation and plan approximately 3 years later. Eight hundred and nineteen African Americans were interviewed at Wave 1 (1997–1999) and Wave 4 (2001–2003) of the Self‐Help In Eliminating Life‐Threatening Diseases (SHIELD) study, a HIV preventive intervention study in Baltimore, MD. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to compare risks of suicide‐related ideation and plan at Wave 4 by Wave 1 density. Even after adjusting for baseline sociodemographic characteristics and depressive symptoms, individuals with a lower level of density were three times more likely to report suicide‐related ideation and plan in the past year at Wave 4. The findings reinforce the importance of social integration among inner‐city African Americans from a social network perspective. Future research should examine the mechanisms associated with this relationship and other social network constructs. |
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