Investigating the Role of Racism in Black Men's Suicide: Revisiting the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide

The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) is a well-established framework to assess suicide risk, yet few studies have applied the framework to examine relevance and applicability to suicide phenomenology in Black American men. We address this gap by qualitatively exploring the suitability of the IPTS framework using a psychiatric sample of Black men.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Black adult men (Mean age = 32.1, min:18, max: 79) with a history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). We conducted thematic analysis using an inductive and deductive coding approach using Dedoose v. 8.

Overall, IPTS constructs were represented in participant narratives. Thwarted belongingness emerged as the most prominent construct of the theory, followed by hopelessness, and suicide capability. Participants noted the role of racism in their STB from multiple levels, including internalized, interpersonal, and structural racism.

Black men reported aspects of the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS), notably experiences of social isolation, which were often attributed to racism. Our findings highlight the relative importance of certain IPTS constructs among Black men, namely the significance of thwarted belongingness and its relationship with social marginalization. Our findings identify future areas of expansion for the IPTS framework to capture broader sociocultural dynamics in racialized populations.