Promoting Wellness among Black Youth: Culturally Adapting a Suicide Prevention Intervention

• In Event: The Next Movement: Graduate Students’ Cultivation of Research to Address Social Justice Issues in Education

Abstract

Black youth suicide has become a national crisis, with existing interventions failing to address their specific needs. Promoting wellness among Black youth by leveraging their cultural assets, particularly in schools, is crucial. Utilizing mentorship, we implemented a Radical Healing framework to develop and test a wellness intervention for Black youth with a social justice focus. Our methodology included culturally adapting a suicide prevention intervention based on feedback from focus groups involving 54 Black youth, caregivers, providers, and community members. The adapted intervention was then trialed with six youth participants. Preliminary qualitative and quantitative feedback indicated the need for further adaptations, such as gender-neutral language in surveys and materials. Future directions include engaging graduate students in cultural adaptations, emphasizing client-preferred communication methods (text and Zoom), and including video content versus handouts to communicate racial socialization messaging. These findings underscore the importance of culturally tailored interventions effectively supporting diverse Black youth.

Authors

• Austin Trujillo, Black Wellness Collective Lab

• Javonne Green, Black Wellness Collective Lab

• Nyree Beachum, Black Wellness Collective Lab

• Margaret Phipps-Bennett, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Sonyia Richardson, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• John A. Williams, Texas A&M University