| The increased frequency of suicide among highly educated African American female professionals has been virtually ignored by the psychological community. In addition the absence of culture specific treatment modalities for this population further perpetuates the problem. Three hypotheses were formulated to explore the nature, frequency, and high risk factors associated with educational attainment and African American female suicide. This quantitative study investigated the relationship between educational attainment, the covariates of age, sex, race, and area of residency, and suicide in African American females, using hierarchical logistic regression. Information on decedents included in the study was extracted from the 1999 national multiple cause of death mortality detail computer files. A single year of data was examined to (a) avoid the discontinuity in comparing mortality data from earlier years due to changes in the International Classification of Diseases coding, and (b) to prevent skewing the data due to suicides associated with the 9/11 tragedy, as it was not possible to distinguish those deaths. Suicide was regressed on education, sex, and race. Results indicate a relationship exists between suicide and educational attainment in African American females. African American females who had higher levels of education showed increases in suicide rates by 10% for each year of education attained. This study prompts a paradigm shift in psychological treatment modalities, and assessment design that address the cultural context of African American females. Longitudinal studies involving multiple-year data, psychological autopsies, socioeconomic status, and social isolation of African American females in higher education should be the aims of future research. Positive impacts on social change focus on the inclusion of multicultural training as a requirement in accredited psychology education programs; the development of treatment strategies for African American females; and increased services for African American females in higher education institutions. |
