Sample Research Proposal on The Disparty in the Rates of Suicide Between Black and White Adolescents
INTRODUCTION Life is a precious gift, so the saying goes. Couples rejoice with the birth of a child and birthdays are regarded as special days. The society severely punishes murders or homicides or any attempts to take away one's life and personhood. These realities are so inspiring that prevalence of phenomenon like suicide alarms people and the community. Suicide is basically defined as the deliberate or intentional act of taking one's own life. Typically, suicide is the primary means of escaping grave problems and personal depression. It is a seriously poor response to a very bad situation (Dyer, 2006). Suicide has been the focus of many discussions and studies. These studies are also able to come up with a more shocking finding about one form of the phenomenon – adolescent suicide. Suicide basically ends a complicated situation. Thus, the fact that children or young people, who are just beginning to understand the meaning of life, can actually end it is more alarming. Many researches have been done to thoroughly analyze this reality in order to deduce the underlying reasons. This research study attempts to provide a body of knowledge on the topic "The Disparity in the Rates of Suicide between Black and White Adolescents" through review of related literature on the topic, analysis of the gathered literature and formulation of conclusions derived from the analysis. LITERATURE REVIEW In the general population, children and adolescents are less likely to take away their lives. Thus, adolescent suicide is bizarre. However, suicide is consistently the second or third leading cause of death among the young population aged thirteen to nineteen, and the third leading death cause between fifteen and twenty-four year olds (Bloch, 1999, p. 1). Furthermore, the rate of suicide among races is also an important point for discussion. According to Holland Barnes and The theories on adolescent suicide focused on three behaviors: ideation, attempt and completion. Ideation is the tendency to think about suicide. It is postulated that ideation occurs generally among all adolescents regardless of race or gender. This is mainly due to the fact that the period of adolescence is a time of biological, psychological and social changes that create confusion and crisis for the individual. This stage is a period of finding identity and self-awareness. The adolescents' eyes are opened to realities such as alienation, death, meaninglessness, and choice. Consequently, they can think about suicide as a possible alternative to ending the confusion (Fishman, Friedman & Marcenko, 1999, p. 121). The causes of adolescent suicide are intricate and multifarious. Probable reasons associated with youth-related suicide reflect increasing interrelatedness of risk factors like substance abuse; psychological illness; antisocial behavior; disruptions in family relationships; family history of suicide and violence; attempted suicide; academic or social stress and depression; and rapid socio-cultural change (Suicide among Children, Adolescents, 2001). A study conducted by Wagman Borowsky, Ireland & Resnick (2001) revealed that general risk factors in suicide attempts for Black and White male and female adolescents are family relationships, depression, history of suicide attempt, alcohol and marijuana use, and school issues. Furthermore, female adolescents from both Black and White populations are more at risk of suicide if they have a friend who also attempted or completed a suicide, have used prohibited drugs, and have a history of suicide attempts. Among the boys, carrying weapons to school and same-sex attraction are grave causes of suicide for both Black and White adolescent populations. One factor claimed to contribute to adolescent suicide is dynamics of family relationships or any disruptions in the relationships of parents and children. The family provides the primary social support for adolescents especially in the crucial years of role confusion and socialization conflicts. Key factors that contribute to increased suicidal tendencies include lack of parental support, feelings of alienation from any family member, parental abuse or frequent unavailability, poor communication between parents and children and between children and other family members, family conflicts, high expectations from family which are beyond the adolescent's ability to meet, and family pathology (Longwell-Grice, Portes, & Sandhu, 2002, p. 805). An example of family alienation is when a parent may manifest an unconscious or conscious inclination to treat a child as "expendable" and "dispensable". This is said to correlate with the fact than an adolescent's concept of self-worth is based on how they are treated by others; thus, rejection by parents can stimulate suicidal behavior on the adolescent (Benoit, Getson, Lyon, O'Donnell, Silber, & Walsh, 2000, p. 121). Also, historically, Whites and Blacks vary in family practices and traditions. Blacks have always observed kinship networks that emphasize the strong support of the family environment to the child's adaptive tendencies (Biafora, Gil, & Vega, 1998, p. 373). Depression is the most common mental health issue in adolescence. The adolescent struggles with choices and decisions regarding relationships, vocational development, sexual drives and peer pressure. An inability to balance all these concerns usually leads to depressed feelings (Irvin, 2005, p.1). O'Connor (2000) reported that depression drives feelings of unhappiness, helplessness, apathy, worthlessness, loss of interest in any normal activities, lack of motivation, loss of focus, restlessness, contemplation on sad or death thoughts, and increased drug or alcohol consumption. Most studies conducted on the impact of depression in adolescent suicides across White and Black adolescent populations are uncertain. Some say that more Black teenagers are depressed while others say that there is no significant difference in suicide rates between black and white adolescents caused by depression. The inconsistencies make it impossible to verify whether the lower suicide rate among Black youth correlates with low depression (Bloch, 1999, p. 3). Furthermore, the accounted suicide rate involving alcohol and drugs was 6 percent in the early 1980s and increased by 13 percent for young males and 7 percent for young females in 2001 (Young People and Suicide, 2004). Irvin (2005) argued that the individual differences among adolescents determine how they cope with stress, anxiety and peer relationships. Those with poor personal adjustments are at a greater risk of developing addictions in order to escape (Irvin, 2005, p.1). Some teens resort to alcohol and drug use to lessen depression. However, the drugs stimulate the depressive feelings because of their depressant effect (O'Connor, 2000). Much research has proved that alcohol is the most prevalent psychoactive substance used by male and female teens among all ethnic groups. A report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse disclosed that eight percent of high school seniors consume alcohol while older adolescents have higher levels of alcohol consumption that younger ones (Irvin, 2005, p.1). Sometimes teenagers have a higher drive to commit suicide when drunk in order to relieve the pain of personal disappointment. Another target of much experimentation and preoccupation during adolescence is substance use. Young people use drugs out of curiosity, to relieve stress and depression or to feel how it is to be an adult. Negative consequences of substance use include increased tendency for serious drug use in later life, poor school performance, violence, unplanned sex, and suicide (O'Connor, 2000). The risk of alcohol and substance use has more pronounced difference between the Black and White adolescents. There is higher rate of alcohol and drug usage among White teenagers. It is suggested that this difference is caused by Whites coming from more well-to-do families than Blacks (Blum, Beuhring, Shew, Bearinger, Sieving, & Resnick, 2000, p. 1879). METHODOLOGY This study is an exploratory attempt to gather existing information on the differences in rates and risk factors of suicides among White and Black adolescents in order to come up with a precise body of knowledge on the existence of disparity in causes of suicides among the two populations. A definition of exploratory research from The purpose of this study entitled "The Disparity in the Rates of Suicide between Black and White Adolescents" is to gather existing information regarding the socio-economic and other risk factors of suicide among White and Black adolescents. It aspires to present the context of the problem, emphasize that White adolescents have higher suicide rates compared to their Black counterparts, highlight the perspectives that support this difference, and formulate conclusions based on the analysis of the gathered data. RESULTS Suicide is presently the third leading cause of death among the younger population. Since 1965 until late 1990s, statistics has shown consistent increase in the suicide rates among young people ages ten to twenty-four years old. Several factors have been identified as the major causes of this alarming reality. These factors include substance and alcohol abuse, poor family relationships, aggressive and anti-social behavior, personal and family history of suicide, mental health problems like depression and stress, and academic and social pressures. Another prominent finding is the disparity in suicide rates between adolescents of White descent and young people from African-American backgrounds. Generally, statistics show that more White adolescents attempt or commit suicide than Black teenagers. Among the identified key causes of adolescent suicides, only poor family relationships, depression, and alcohol and substance abuse have been explained by researchers to have varying degree of influence on the difference in suicide rates among the White and Black adolescents. Family relationship is said to vary between the two races and culture. The African-American family orientation underscores kinship network which is characterized by strong family connections. This makes the Black adolescents more exposed to parental control and influence than the White families who are more liberal. White adolescents are more at risk of suicide than Black adolescents because their parents are more liberal in raising and monitoring them. Secondly, depression is the most common mental health problem among adolescents. The stage of adolescence is a period when the individual faces issues of interpersonal relations, vocational choices, peer pressure, identity, self-awareness and social expectations. The young person has to face all these complexities in a balanced manner so as to effectively cope and avoid grave consequences like depression and stress. White and Black adolescents generally experience depression. Researches on this factor do not have concrete conclusions as to the existence of disparity in suicide rates between the two populations. Finally, alcohol and substance abuse is prevalent among the young population. Most teenagers resort to this addiction primarily to lessen depressive feelings and stress. Statistics show that White adolescents consume more alcohol and drugs than Black adolescents. This is mainly due to the fact that most Black adolescents come from families who are poor or have average income while most White adolescents come from well-off families who can consistently afford these kinds of substances. DISCUSSION It is an alarming reality that despite the society's emphasis on preservation of life, still many choose to take away their own. More depressing is that a large percentage of these people are young adolescents who are only in the midst of understanding human existence. The increasing rate of suicide is a call for more rigid measures from parents, families, social institutions, and especially governments. Although the focus of the study is the difference of suicide rates among Caucasian and African-American adolescents, the literature presented can be a source of a more general approach to the problem. The three identified factors causing the disparity in suicide rates among the two ethnic groups are family relationships, depression, and alcohol and substance abuse. These things bring us to the basics of strong foundation at home. Basically, all the three factors are interrelated. The family is the basic social institution. It provides the first venue for the child to experience love, affection and sense of belongingness, Any malfunction in the family can result to negative consequences in the child. The child may feel isolated, ignored or worthless. These feelings are indicative of depression. Depression comes because the adolescent cannot see any motivating force around him, especially from his own family. The study shows that Black adolescents who have strong relations at home do not regard suicide as a means to escape from problems. This can be applied to the general adolescent population. If families maintain good communication and relations, less children and teenagers would develop feelings of worthlessness and depression. And also less would consume alcohol and drugs as the most tangible escape for feelings of isolation. The interrelatedness of the three factors means that the family should be able to provide the young person's need for comfort, love and identity so that he or she would not try to find them outside the home and become prone to negative societal elements. |
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