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What Can Be Learned From Differing Rates of Suicide Among Groups
NY Times ^ | 2020 | Austin Fract

Posted on 08/31/2025 11:47:05 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Suicide in America has been rising for two decades, with rates for white Americans consistently well above those for Asian-Americans, Black Americans and Hispanics.

In data released in 2017, the rate for white Americans was around 19 per 100,000, 7.1 for both Hispanics and Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders, and 6.6 for Black Americans, according to the CDC.

One explanation may be a racial disparity in suicide data…But misclassification cannot fully explain the racial difference in suicide.

Dawne Mouzon, a sociologist and associate professor at Rutgers University, suggested that religious involvement is one source of protection. Black Americans overwhelmingly identify as Christian. “Because of their faith, Black Americans are more likely to believe suicide precludes reaching heaven after death,” she said.

Although church membership has trended downward over the last two decades, it has been lower and fallen faster for white Americans than Black Americans. According to a national survey by the Pew Research Center, by almost any measure of religiosity, Black Americans are more religious than whites. Emotional and social support from a church congregation may also confer mental health benefits, Professor Mouzon added.

Other types of group activities may confer a similar sense of belonging. Volunteers with caregiving responsibility maintain a significantly reduced suicide risk, a 2019 study found. As a 1976 study put it, social support is anything that leads someone “to believe that he/she is cared for and loved, esteemed, and a member of a network of mutual obligations.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: mentalhealth; mentalillness; race; religion
Jonathan Lee Walton, dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University, sees another angle to Black religiosity that could reduce suicide rates.

“It’s in the Black theological tradition that in this life you will experience trouble and hardship,” he said. “Unfortunately, this is born of tragic experiences in this nation. This prepares one for paths of despair, for traveling the lonely road of heartbreak, perhaps in a way that white Americans don’t learn to the same degree or from a young and formative age.”

1 posted on 08/31/2025 11:47:05 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
Jonathan Lee Walton, dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University, sees another angle to Black religiosity that could reduce suicide rates.<

“It’s in the Black theological tradition that in this life you will experience trouble and hardship,” he said. “Unfortunately, this is born of tragic experiences in this nation. This prepares one for paths of despair, for traveling the lonely road of heartbreak, perhaps in a way that white Americans don’t learn to the same degree or from a young and formative age.”

Oh, horses**t. The New Testament makes it clear that all will have trouble and hardship. It's not just a black thang.

2 posted on 08/31/2025 11:53:19 AM PDT by 17th Miss Regt (Fascist, deplorable, and proud of it!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

White genocide


3 posted on 08/31/2025 11:56:32 AM PDT by Chickensoup
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To: 17th Miss Regt

This is a study about what’s at work data wise within 21st Century American culture. And in 21st Century America, the most remedial Biblical literacy is at an all time low. Whereas at least prior generations had basic cultural religion to fall back on. I think black communities still have more cultural religion at work and even if nuclear families are not in tact, more extended families and community networks are.

The article is not comparing European countries, or other nations.

Asian-Americans* commit less suicide than white Americans for example, but Asian countries* like Japan have more per capita etc…


4 posted on 08/31/2025 12:03:28 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please


5 posted on 08/31/2025 12:11:01 PM PDT by DFG
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

There is something to be said for learning that life is full of sadness and disappointment and still being able to feel joy.

I think our society at large fails to teach that. Consumerism, defining oneself by public image - there’s no strength in that for the bad times. There’s not enough acknowledgment that suffering comes to us all. A sufferer can feel isolated, a misfit.

I don’t think that shallowness and suffering fall on racial lines though. Misery enough for all.

It has a lot to do with turning inward or outward toward others though...maybe that does tend to sort along racial lines.


6 posted on 08/31/2025 12:20:25 PM PDT by heartwood (Please blame all ridiculous or iinappropriate words on autocorrect. Thank you. )
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

It is the persistent demonization of white people by the left that is the cause. Maybe white people need to do assisted suicide for the leftists that are doing this.


7 posted on 08/31/2025 12:21:02 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: heartwood
It has a lot to do with turning inward or outward toward others though...maybe that does tend to sort along racial lines.

Rugged individualism is not Biblical. Freedom though is to be sure, but when our limited government was the crafted, there was the prevailing assumption that families, churches, communities would be the fabric holding society together.

8 posted on 08/31/2025 12:23:57 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: Chickensoup

Maybe there’s a non-profit organization that can sell White ribbons for people to wear to raise public awareness.


9 posted on 08/31/2025 12:35:07 PM PDT by oldplayer
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To: oldplayer

Blacks react different to life’s disappointments. It’s like ‘here we go again’.

1988-the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. That’s 600 MONTHS and 598 people had jumped to their deaths so security was tight to prevent that 600th. That’s when I found out only one was black. Made sense but then my dentist, a black woman explained it differently-blacks can’t swim.


10 posted on 08/31/2025 1:28:44 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

I bet the main factor is age of the population cohorts.
People of advanced age who live long enough to face severe medical problems, run out of funds, or have lost family and friends commit suicides at high rates. They also have high rates of murder-suicides where a spouse takes out a terminally ill/suffering partner, then themselves. I suspect that the average life span of whites is significantly higher than for blacks or Hispanics (not sure about US residents of Asian ancestry). I also suspect that the average age of whites overall is higher than for other groups. That is enough to skew the stats.


11 posted on 08/31/2025 6:41:55 PM PDT by Chewbarkah
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Can all the religious mumbo-jumbo! Black self esteem is through the roof. Surveys show this. This is why their suicide rate is lower. They will also blame outside forces and other people for their woes...So there is no sense in offing yourself.

Whites will self reflect and blame themselves for their failures. They will guilt trip themselves more. This is the general tendency. This makes suicide a justifiable way out.


12 posted on 08/31/2025 7:03:34 PM PDT by dennisw (There is no limit to human stupidity)
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