Black Boys' Lives Matter: A Trauma and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Approach to Suicide Prevention in Schools

• In Event: Catalysts for Change: School Counselors Tackle Inequitable Educational Opportunity, Racial Injustice, and COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose:
The discourse on suicide prevention is primarily framed around non-Latinx white (NLW) culture (Marraccini et al., 2021; Opara et al., 2020), although there has been an increase in the rates of suicide in Black boys over the last few decades (Bridge et al., 2015; Lindsey et al., 2019; Sheftall et al., 2016). Therefore, this paper outlines how school counselors can apply a trauma- and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)-informed approach to suicide prevention to holistically support Black boys, disrupt patterns of aggressive disciplinary procedures, and improve school-based suicide prevention programs.
Perspectives:
Although there is a critical need for interventions designed to prevent suicide in Black youth, the research guiding clinical and school-based practices for preventing suicide in Black youth is virtually non-existent (Bath & Njoroge, 2020; Joe et al., 2018; Leong et al., 2013; Opana et al., 2020). A shift in paradigms is critical for prevention programs targeting Black youth given that dominant prevention programs have focused on problem behaviors and were born out of oppressive and anti-Black policies (Jagers, 2016). By modeling, teaching, and practicing anti-racist approaches in schools, school counselors can play an essential role in disrupting some of the stressors that may contribute to the death of Black boys.
Techniques
We present a theoretical framework for understanding suicide risk in Black boys, which accounts for historical and ongoing racial trauma. We provide a historical overview of the role of schools in perpetuating racism and oppression of Black boys and describe the current sociopolitical context, in which we present school-based practices that are shaping Black student development, as well as some of the obstructions and facilitators to mental health care faced by Black families.
Evidence
Black boys face unique threats to accessing wellness (Howard et al., 2013; Mizell, 1999) as a result of intersecting internal and external processes (Prilleltensky, 2008). Internal processes include one’s own understanding and relationship with identity, culture, needs, and expectations. External processes involve how one is perceived and treated by others. Thus, in addition to the many pathways conferring risk for suicide in all youth, in Black Americans, the impact of systemic, structural, interpersonal, and internalized racism is a key driver of negative health outcomes (Bath & Njoroge, 2020; Lambert et al., 2009) including suicidal ideation (Assari et al., 2017; Opara et al., 2020).
Results
We share research pertaining to prevalence of suicide-related behaviors, as well as risk and protective factors of suicide, in Black boys. We link this research to school counseling practice implications, describing current models of suicide prevention and explicitly calling for a trauma and JEDI- informed approach to disrupt these negative patterns in schools.
Scholarly Significance
As the research on Black boys and suicide is sparse, we develop specific recommendations aimed at: (1) creating a positive and safe school environment for Black boys; and (2) tailoring school-based suicide prevention practices to acknowledge and account for the historical and ongoing trauma faced by Black boys, including how the intersection of trauma, psychological processes, and school environment may influence risk.

Authors

• Marisa Marraccini, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Constance A. Lindsay, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Dana C. Griffin, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Meghan J. Greene, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Katherine M. Ingram, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Krystal T. Simmons, Texas A&M University