Anxiety sensitivity and suicide risk: Mindfulness as a psychological buffer for Black adults

Anxiety sensitivity (AS), defined as the fear of anxiety-related sensations, is associated with increased risk for suicide and related behavior. However, investigations of AS have centered on primarily non-Hispanic White men and women and with limited attention to clinically relevant underlying factors.

The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the indirect effect of AS on suicide ideation and elevated suicide risk through mindfulness in a sample of 307 Black adults (79.2% female; M_age = 22.4, SD = 5.6). Participants completed an online questionnaire battery that included measures of AS, mindfulness, suicide ideation, and elevated suicide risk.

After controlling for age and gender, results indicated that AS was directly and indirectly associated with suicide ideation and elevated suicide risk via lower levels of mindfulness.

Limitations include using a cross-sectional methodological design and exclusive reliance on self-report measures.

These findings provide preliminary insight into novel risk and protective factors that influence suicide ideation and elevated suicide risk among Black Americans.