OBJECTIVE: Examine longitudinally select factors that may contribute to suicide ideations and attempts in adolescents.
METHOD: Using a multiple cohort research design, surveys were administered to a longitudinal sample of Black American adolescents aged 11-18 years.
RESULTS: Two logistic growth models were tested with the probability of a suicide ideation (n = 977) and identified suicide attempt (n = 457) as the outcome variables and the recency and frequency of alcohol use and gender as the predictor variables. The recency and frequency of alcohol use was significantly related to suicide ideations and identified attempts in both females and males. These findings were differentiated based on the age effects for recency and frequency of alcohol use. More recent and frequent alcohol use among younger adolescents exacerbated probabilities of suicide ideations and identified suicide attempts compared to older adolescents.
CONCLUSION: Results indicate that early systematic assessment of suicidal behavior and alcohol use in Black American adolescents can inform developmentally and culturally responsive prevention and intervention efforts.