# Linking Racial Disparities in School Discipline to Black Youth Suicidality

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK · 2024 · $194,167

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 The suicide rate is about two times higher for Black children ages 5-12 than White children of the same age
group. Identifying factors that disproportionately impact young Black children and contribute to their high rates
of suicide and suicidality (i.e., ideation, planning, attempt) represents a critical gap in the field. Racial
disparities in school discipline practices that are due to racial biases (i.e., racialized discipline) have been seen
throughout the literature. Black children in elementary school are two to three times more likely to be
suspended or receive an office discipline referral compared to White children for the same behaviors. Despite
robust evidence demonstrating the negative psychological impact of Black children’s experiences of
discrimination, the association between racialized discipline and young Black children’s suicidal ideation and
behavior has not been established. This proposal seeks to test 1) whether higher rates of racialized discipline
predict Black children’s suicidality, 2) whether the proposed association between racialized discipline and
Black children’s suicidality is moderated by child emotion regulation and neurocognitive functioning, and 3)
whether racial socialization—a cultural parenting strategy—protects against childhood suicidality. These aims
will be addressed via a two wave prospective study of 200 Black children ages 8-10, their primary caregivers,
and their teachers, recruited through a University Hospital program providing school-based mental health
treatment to schools in a major metropolitan area. Racialized discipline will be assessed via a novel teacher
daily diary approach and triangulated with standard measures, including disparities in office discipline referrals
and children’s perceived teacher and school discipline inequity. Children’s suicidal thoughts and behaviors will
be assessed via a gold standard semi-structured interview. Children will also complete computerized
neurocognitive functioning tasks and an observed emotion regulation task. Parents will report their preparation
for bias and cultural socialization messages. Data will be analyzed using multilevel structural equation
modeling. This study has the potential to inform school-based policy to address racial bias in schools and
culturally relevant, targeted intervention programs for Black families with the goal of decreasing suicidal
thoughts and behavior in Black children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10691439
- **Project number:** 5R21MH130758-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
- **Principal Investigator:** Angel S. Dunbar
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $194,167
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10691439

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10691439, Linking Racial Disparities in School Discipline to Black Youth Suicidality (5R21MH130758-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10691439. Licensed CC0.

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