BACKGROUND: Suicides have increased among Black American youth and adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, though rates decreased for other race groups within this period. Still, empirical studies that identify mechanisms contributing to increased suicide risk among this population remain scant. The current study aims to redress this gap by evaluating whether positive psychological measures of hope, search for, and presence of meaning in life mediate the relationship between personal forms of religious involvement and suicidal ideation among Black adults in the U.S.
METHODS: Data were collected via the AmeriSpeak Panel at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. Here N = 1,000 Black adults in the U.S. completed online surveys in 2022. The AmeriSpeak panel is a nationally representative, probability-based sample of adults across the U.S. Structural equation modeling was used to measure direct and indirect associations while also probing for potential sources of measurement error. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure for six latent variables. Next the structural model was used to examine associations between personal forms of religious involvement, hope, meaning in life, and mental health outcomes.
RESULTS: The measurement model (not included for space) and structural model yielded acceptable fit [x2 = 1764.40, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.03, SRMR = 0.05]. Personal religious involvement was positively associated with hope and presence of meaning in life. Notably, both hope (?= -0.14) and presence of meaning in life (?= -0.18) were negatively associated with suicidal ideation. Findings from the indirect results reveal that personal religious involvement was indirectly associated with decreased anxiety via hope (? = -0.13) and presence of meaning in life (? = -0.08). Further, personal forms of religious involvement were indirectly associated with decreased suicidal ideation through increased hope (?= -0.07).
CONCLUSION: Hope was the strongest contributor to decreased suicidal ideation, even after accounting for other variables in the model. Suicide prevention interventions geared towards Black Americans should explore how hope is conceptualized within this community while also integrating culturally-salient messages that promote feelings of meaning in life and purpose over the life course.