The Association Between Racism and Suicidality Among Young Minority Groups: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization states that suicide is the second leading cause of death among youngs, and racism has been proven to have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. These two plagues represent a public health priority, especially for susceptible minorities. Method: This systematic review analyzed 23 studies from multiple database searches, to understand the relationship between racism and suicidality in young minority groups. Results: The review demonstrated the correlation between racism and suicidality with the consequent development of mental disorders. There is strong evidence that the main suicide risk factor is acculturation, interpreted as the assimilation of the dominant culture with the loss of values from one’s cultural background. Discussion: Health care professionals should not underestimate the risk of suicidality associated with racism. Prevention is crucial and it should be implemented from a young age, in schools, through a joint intervention with children and their families, aiming toward integration without acculturation.

Suicide in young people: screening, risk assessment, and intervention

“…The identification of risk factors for suicide in young people can enable early detection and tailored interventions for those most likely to engage in suicidal behaviors. A comprehensive discussion of risk factors for suicide in young people is beyond the scope of this review, but several useful reviews are available 911272829303132333435…”

Temporal Location of Changes in the US Suicide Rate by Age, Ethnicity, and Race

“…Exposure to racism and prejudice has been linked to increased suicide risk (Brooks et al, 2020;Rudes and Fantuzzi, 2022), and it follows that the onset of police violence and a culture of sanctioned racism during this period could account for some of the increased suicides in AA and Hispanics. Further research is needed to determine how exposure to racism impacts suicide risk within different age and minority groups.…”

“…Starting in 2016, the federal government also implemented a series of measures that persecuted immigrants receiving protection via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, most of whom were Hispanic. Exposure to racism and prejudice has been linked to increased suicide risk ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Rudes and Fantuzzi, 2022 ), and it follows that the onset of police violence and a culture of sanctioned racism during this period could account for some of the increased suicides in AA and Hispanics. Further research is needed to determine how exposure to racism impacts suicide risk within different age and minority groups.…”

Help-seeking needs related to suicide prevention for individuals in contact with mental health services: A rapid scoping review

“…The diagnoses associated with highest risk of suicide were schizophrenia, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders followed by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Yeh et al, 2019). Among individuals with mental health conditions or a history of previous suicidal behaviors, demographic characteristics may increase or decrease risk of suicide including, but not limited to, gender (Marconi et al, 2023;Miranda-Mendizabal et al, 2019), age (Biswas et al, 2020;Clements et al, 2019;Hawton et al, 2020;Murphy et al, 2012), sexual orientation (Liu et al, 2019), socio-economic status (Cairns et al, 2017;Qian et al, 2023), experiences of marginalization (Pollock et al, 2018;Rudes & Fantuzzi, 2022), geographic location (Knipe et al, 2022), neurodiversity and autism (Cassidy et al, 2020), physical health (Qin et al, 2022), and occupation (Windsor-Shellard & Gunnell, 2019).…”