# Cultural Consensus Modeling to Identify Culturally Relevant Risk Factors for Suicide among Black Youth

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2022 · $265,259

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Between 1991 and 2017 there was a 73% increase in suicide attempts among Black youth. Black youth <13 are
twice as likely to die by suicide compared to White peers. Theoretical models (e.g. Interpersonal-Psychological
Theory of Suicide; IPTS) and the interventions they inform have largely utilized non-Black, non-youth, samples,
limiting their relevance for Black youth. Our team, which include two Black early career researchers will be the
first to make use of a rigorous, multi-method, ethnographic approach, namely Cultural Consensus Modeling
(CCM), to give direct voice to the reasons for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in Black youth, ages 11-17, in
the form of cultural models generated by Black youth themselves. We will then evaluate cultural models for
their association with more traditional suicide predictors derived from IPTS (perceived burdensomeness,
thwarted belongingness, acquired capability), in addition to variables related to social injustice, in particular
racial discrimination. Guided by a conceptual framework that integrates IPTS and Intersectionality, our central
hypothesis is that derived cultural models will point to the importance of redefining IPTS variables through the
lens of racial discrimination. The CCM methodology is iterative in nature with initial study phases informing
subsequent phases, verifying and further testing derived cultural models. Aim 1 will recruit 50 at-risk Black
youth (50% female), as determined by past suicidal ideation or behaviors and moderate-severe depression
scores. Making use of “free listing” CCM methodology, youth will be asked to identify risk factors (common
reasons) for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among peer Black youth. We hypothesize that Black youth will
generate IPTS-related motivations for suicide as well as motivations related to racial discrimination. Aim 2 will
recruit a new sample of 100 at-risk Black youth (50% female) who will rate the culture-relevance of factors
generated in Aim 1 on a 5-point likert scale. We hypothesize that more than one cultural consensus model
(clusters) will emerge given expected heterogeneity (sub-cultures) in the population. Aim 3 will utilize a subset
of participants (N=25; 50% female) who completed Aim 2 to represent each identified cultural model from Aim
1. Qualitative interviews will be conducted to gather in-depth information on each cultural model. Informed by
the results of Aims 1-3, Aim 4 will recruit a new sample of
200
at-risk Black youth (50% female), alongside
measures of IPTS and racial discrimination to test the hypotheses that (1) cultural models will map well onto
own reasons for suicidal thoughts and behaviors; (2) cultural models will align with individual differences in
IPTS and racial discrimination, and that (3) models that align with racial discrimination will most strongly predict
suicide severity, pointing to the importance of redefining IPTS variables through the lens of racial
discrimination. The proposed work respo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10528029
- **Project number:** 1R21MH128570-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer L Brown
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $265,259
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10528029

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10528029, Cultural Consensus Modeling to Identify Culturally Relevant Risk Factors for Suicide among Black Youth (1R21MH128570-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10528029. Licensed CC0.

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