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Additive Impact of Childhood Emotional, Physical, and Sexual Abuse on Suicide Attempts among Low‐Income African American Women
Author(s) -
Anderson Page L.,
Tiro Jasmin A.,
Price Ann Webb,
Bender Marnette A.,
Kaslow Nadine J.
Publication year - 2002
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 - 10.1521/suli.32.2.131.24405
Subject(s) - sexual abuse , psychological abuse , physical abuse , psychiatry , suicide prevention , logistic regression , clinical psychology , poison control , child abuse , psychology , injury prevention , childhood abuse , medicine , medical emergency
This study examines the association between exposures to multiple forms of childhood abuse (emotional, physical, sexual) and adult suicidal behavior in a sample of low‐income, African American women. We hypothesized a linear relation between childhood abuse and risk for making a suicide attempt, such that the more forms of childhood abuse to which a woman was exposed, the greater her risk would be to make a suicide attempt. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, compared to women who did not report any experiences of childhood abuse, women who experienced one, two, or three forms of abuse were 1.83, 2.29, or 7.75 times more likely to attempt suicide, respectively (all statistically significant). Furthermore, compared to women who reported one or two types of abuse, women who reported all three types of abuse were statistically more likely to attempt suicide. These findings have implications for clinicians working with African American women who report either childhood abuse or exhibit suicidal behavior.