Black and Latinx adolescents with a stronger sense of ethnic identity are less likely to experience “thwarted belongingness,” a feeling of disconnectedness to others and not belonging to a larger group, according to a report today in Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice. Thwarted belongingness, along with perceived burdensomeness, has been shown to be significantly associated with suicide risk.
“Strengthening these adolescents’ sense of ethnic identity to reduce TB may be a plausible suicide prevention strategy to reduce suicide ideation,” wrote Carolina Vélez-Grau, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., of Boston College of Social Work, and colleagues.
The researchers recruited 61 Black and Latinx teenagers, ages 13 to 17, from community‐based organizations in New York City between 2021 and 2022. Most participants were male (72.1%) and self‐identified as Latinx (75.4%).
The teenagers answered The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), rating how much they agreed with 12 statements such as “I have a clear sense of my ethnic background and what it means to me” on a four-point scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree). Higher scores indicate a stronger, more secure ethnic identity.
The researchers also completed the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, which measured participants’ beliefs about the extent to which they feel like a burden to others (for instance, “These days, the people in my life would be better off if I were not here”) or about how much they feel connected to others (for instance, “These days, I feel like I belong”).
Individuals with higher total MEIM scores reported significantly lower levels of thwarted belongingness, even after controlling for sociodemographic factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, country of origin, income, and language. The researchers did not find an association between ethnic identity and perceived burdensomeness.
The results also showed an association between speaking Spanish as a preferred language and lower perceived burdensomeness among Latinx adolescents, suggesting the importance of maintaining a strong ethnic identity through language. Additionally, higher income was associated with higher scores of thwarted belongingness. The authors speculated that Black and Latinx teenagers with high income “might live, play, and learn in environments where non‐Latinx White adolescents are the majority, which may lead to feelings of being an outsider.”
Vélez-Grau and colleagues suggested that programs such as the Ethnic Identity Project may help reduce suicide risk among Black and Latinx teenagers.
“Incorporating ethnic identity in the psychiatric assessment and prevention of suicide ideation and as a universal upstream approach to suicide may be valuable and relevant to ethnoracially minoritized adolescents,” they wrote.
For related information see the Psychiatric News Alert “BIPOC Individuals Much More Likely to Have Cultural Conversations With Therapists.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/ferrantraite)
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