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Suicide and older African-American women

Mary Lois Bender, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

Why are older African-American women's suicide rates so low? That is the question of concern in the present study. The study seeks to understand suicide, or its absence, among older black women by exploring their attitudes toward suicide along with those of older white women. It was the aim of the study to look for differences that might help explain differences in suicide rates between the two groups. A survey was conducted with a sample of 208 black and white women in Omaha, 60 years of age or older. Data was collected in groups (questionnaires were completed individually) at selected locations and in a variety of settings. T-test scores and correlations were examined for significance of relationships and to test the hypotheses. The only significant differences between the groups appeared in age and size of household. The age range of African Americans was 59 to 95 with a mean age of 70 (SD = 7.8), and for white participants, the range was 58 to 95 with a mean age 76 (SD = 8.4). Difference in size of household may be misleading, as some of the nuns from convents reported large numbers of "people living with you." Differences in religious affiliation were not reported as significant because the data was not ordinal. The questionnaire contained four scales measuring reasons for living, attitudes toward suicide itself, depression, and intrinsic religiosity. On the "Reasons for Living Scale," blacks scored significantly higher than whites on only two items, and total scores were not significantly different. In total scores on the "Attitudes Toward Suicide Scale," blacks indicated significantly greater negative attitudes toward suicide. The groups did not differ significantly in depression. Total scores were similar for the two groups on the "Scale of Intrinsic Religious Motivation," with significant difference on only one item. Relationships between concepts tested by the four scales revealed a low, but significant, relationship between "reasons for living" and "attitudes toward suicide." A stronger, negative, relationship was found between "depression" and "religiosity" (as religiosity went up, depression went down), and the strongest correlation was between attitudes toward suicide and religiosity (those highest in intrinsic religiosity displayed the most negative attitudes toward suicide). The data, when analyzed, seem to indicate that black women are more religious than white women and that black women are less accepting of suicide as normal behavior than are white women. It must be remembered, however, that this was a non-random study in one part of the United States. Why are older African American women's suicide rates so low? It may be the case that they simply would not commit suicide. While the findings of the present study indicate this may be so, further research appears to be a worthwhile consideration.

Subject Area

Ethnic studies|Womens studies|Black studies|Gerontology|African American Studies

Recommended Citation

Bender, Mary Lois, "Suicide and older African-American women" (1998). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9902945.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9902945

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