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The Effect of Marital Integration on African American Suicide
Author(s) -
Stack Steven
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.1996.tb00844.x
Subject(s) - marital status , odds , logistic regression , african american , suicide prevention , demography , psychology , poison control , suicide methods , race (biology) , human factors and ergonomics , gerontology , medicine , sociology , medical emergency , suicide rates , gender studies , population , ethnology
Research on the impact of marital integration on suicide has neglected race‐specific analysis. Existing work has been marked by methodological problems and has thus found inconsistent results. The present paper is the first national study of the problem. In a logistic regression analysis of 2099 African American suicides and 1729 African American natural deaths, being divorced or widowed significantly raises the odds of death by suicide; being single does not. A parallel analysis for Whites finds greater support for a link between marital status and suicide. Marital status may be less important for African Americans in suicide prevention because extended family ties are stronger for African Americans than Whites.