Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation and Attempt According to Prisoners’ Race/Ethnicity: An Exploratory Analysis

  • Published:
Race and Social Problems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Suicide is a serious public health issue and prisoners represent a particularly high-risk group. Though there is consensus that suicide is embedded within culture, there have been limited empirical investigations into racial/ethnic variability concerning suicidal ideation and behavior among prisoners. The present study aimed to address this gap, increasing insight into the prevalence and correlates of suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide according to prisoners’ racial/ethnic background. Cross-sectional data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of 17,891 prisoners housed within 326 prisons across the United States. Analyses revealed that prisoners who identify as White were more likely to report a lifetime history of suicidal thoughts (13%) and attempts (19%) as compared to those who identify as Black (8% and 10%, respectively) and Hispanic/Other (8% and 13%, respectively). Data also highlight some similarities and differences in correlates of suicidal thoughts and attempts across racial/ethnic groups. Collectively, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that prisoners’ racial/ethnic background may shape whether and why they think about, and engage in, suicide. More research is needed on racial/ethnic variability in prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation and behavior among prisoners, especially with respect to culturally relevant factors that might explain this variability.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data analyzed for the current study are available in the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) repository, retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04572.v6

Notes

  1. Sociological literature has grappled with the conflation of racial/ethnic identity and culture, as it is recognized that many factors contribute to one's cultural background aside from race/ethnicity (e.g., nationality, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.). That said, the current study follows a cultural reductionist perspective, whereby culture is reduced to a particular marker (Swidler 1986) such as racial/ethnic identity. This is in line with the conceptualization of race/ethnicity and culture in (some) studies on cultural patterning/scripts of suicide (e.g., see Canetto 2017; Chu et al. 2017; see also Clay 2018).

  2. The primary outcomes of interest, suicidal thoughts and behavior, describe past suicidality only and do not necessarily suggest current or future risk.

  3. For all variable-by-group interaction effects, those who identify as Black and Hispanic/Other were compared to the reference of those who identify as white. This methodological approach is informed by the body of empirical evidence which has highlighted that individuals who identify as white are often more likely to report a history of suicidal thoughts and behavior (as compared to those who are non-white) and, therefore, serve as a strong baseline (reference) group.

  4. The logit (and exponentiated) coefficient presented for interaction effects illustrates how regression slopes differ between the comparison (i.e., Black or Hispanic/Other) and reference (i.e., white) group for the respective predictor variable, and the associated probability-value indicates whether this difference is statistically significant. Positive coefficients suggest the probability of an outcome (i.e., suicidal thoughts or attempts) is greater for the comparison versus reference group, and vice versa.

References

  • Allison, P. (1999). Comparing logit and probit coefficients across groups. Sociological Methods & Research, 28(2), 186–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaauw, E., Kerkhof, J. M., & Hayes, L. M. (2005). Demographic, criminal, and psychiatric factors related to inmate suicide. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 35(1), 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bush, B., Shaw, S., Cleary, P., DelBanco, T. L., & Aronson, M. D. (1987). Screening for alcohol abuse using the CAGE questionnaire. American Journal of Medicine, 82, 231–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canetto, S. S. (2017). Suicide: Why are older men so vulnerable? Men and Masculinities, 20(1), 49–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canetto, S. S., & Lester, D. (1998). Gender, culture, and suicidal behavior. Transcultural Psychiatry, 35(2), 163–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canetto, S. S., & Sakinofsky, I. (1998). The gender paradox in suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 28(1), 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carson, E. A., & Cowhig, M. P. (2020). Mortality in state and federal prisons, 2001–2016 statistical tables. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

  • Castle, K., Duberstein, P. R., Meldrum, S., Conner, K. R., & Conwell, Y. (2004). Risk factors for suicide in blacks and whites: An analysis of data from the 1993 National Mortality Followback Survey. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(3), 452–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Leading causes of death reports, national and regional, 1999–2018 [Data file]. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

  • Chu, J., Khoury, O., Ma, J., Bahn, F., Bongar, B., & Goldblum, P. (2017). An empirical model and ethnic differences in cultural meanings via motives for suicide. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(10), 1343–1359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clay, R. A. (2018). Continuing education The cultural distinctions in whether, when and how people engage in suicidal behavior. Monitor on Psychology, 49(6), 1–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clements-Nolle, K., Wolden, M., & Bargmann-Losche, J. (2009). Childhood trauma and risk for past and future suicide attempts among women in prison. Women’s Health Issues, 19(3), 185–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniel, A. E., & Fleming, J. (2006). Suicides in a state correctional system, 1992–2002: A review. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 12(1), 24–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1897). Le suicide. Paris: Felix Alcan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1967). Suicide: A study in sociology (J. A. Spaulding & G. Simpson, Trans.). New York: The Free Press.

  • Dye, M. H. (2010). Deprivation, importation, and prison suicide: Combined effects of institutional conditions and inmate composition. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(4), 796–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dye, M. H. (2011). The gender paradox in prison suicide rates. Women & Criminal Justice, 21(4), 290–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dye, M. H., & Aday, R. H. (2013). “I just wanted to die”: Preprison and current suicide ideation among women serving life sentences. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 40, 832–849.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Favril, L., Stoliker, B. E., & Vander Laenen, F. (2020). What differentiates prisoners who attempt suicide from those who experience suicidal ideation? A nationally representative study. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Favril, L., Vander Laenen, F., Vandeviver, C., & Audenaert, K. (2017). Suicidal ideation while incarcerated: Prevalence and correlates in a large sample of male prisoners in Flanders, Belgium. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 55, 19–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawton, K., Linsell, L., Adeniji, T., Sariaslan, A., & Fazel, S. (2014). Self-harm in prisons in England and Wales: An epidemiological study of prevalence, risk factors, clustering, and subsequent suicide. Lancet, 383, 1147–1154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, L. M., & Rowan, J. R. (1988). National study of jail suicides: Seven years later. National Center on Institutions and Alternatives: Sponsored by National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irwin, J., & Cressey, D. (1962). Thieves, convicts and the inmate culture. Social Problems, 10, 142–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, R., Bhugra, D., Meltzer, H., Singleton, N., Bebbington, P., Brugha, T., et al. (2005). Psychiatric and social aspects of suicidal behavior in prisons. Psychological Medicine, 35, 257–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, T. E. (2005). Why people die by suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klonsky, E. D., & May, A. M. (2015). The three-step theory (3ST): A new theory of suicide rooted in the “ideation-to-action” framework. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 8(2), 114–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klonsky, E. D., & May, A. M. (2014). Differentiating suicide attempters from suicide ideators: A critical frontier for suicidology research. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 1, 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, N., Daigle, M. S., Daniel, A. E., Dear, G. E., Frottier, P., Hayes, L. M., et al. (2007). Preventing suicide in prisons, part I. Crisis, 28(3), 113–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kovasznay, B., Miraglia, R., Beer, R., & Way, B. (2004). Reducing suicides in New York state correctional facilities. Psychiatric Quarterly, 75(1), 61–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larney, S., Topp, L., Indig, D., O’Driscoll, C., & Greenberg, D. (2012). A cross-sectional survey of prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among prisoners in New South Wales. Australia. BMC Public Health, 12, 14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lester, D. (1997). Suicide in America: A nation of immigrants. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 27(1), 50–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mumola, C. J. (2005). Suicide and homicide in state prisons and local jails: Bureau of Justice Statistics special report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Noonan, M., Rohloff, H., & Ginder, S. (2015). Mortality in local jails and state prisons, 2000–2013 statistical tables. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

  • O’Connor, R. C. (2011). Towards an integrated motivational-volitional model of suicidal behaviour. In R. C. O’Connor, S. Platt, & J. Gordon (Eds.), International handbook of suicide prevention: Research, policy and practice (pp. 181–198). Chichester, UK: Wiley Blackwell.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Van Orden, K. A., Witte, T. K., Cukrowicz, K. C., Braithwaite, S. R., Selby, E. A., & Joiner, T. E., Jr. (2010). The interpersonal theory of suicide. Psychological Review, 117(2), 575–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabe, K. (2012). Prison structure, inmate mortality and suicide risk in Europe. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 35(3), 222–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rivlin, A., Fazel, S., Marzano, L., & Hawton, K. (2012). Studying survivors of near-lethal suicide attempts as a proxy for completed suicide in prisons. Forensic Science International (Online), 220(1), 19–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rockett, I. R. H., Samora, J. B., & Coben, J. H. (2006). The black-white suicide paradox: Possible effects of misclassification. Social Science & Medicine, 63(8), 2165–2175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarchiapone, M., Carli, V., Di Giannantonio, M., & Roy, A. (2009). Risk factors for attempting suicide in prisoners. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 39(3), 343–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, K. E., Esposito-Smythers, C., & Tangney, J. P. (2016). Suicidal ideation in a United States jail: demographic and psychiatric correlates. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 27(5), 698–704.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoliker, B. E. (2018). Attempted suicide: A multi-level examination of inmate characteristics and prison context. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 45(5), 589–611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoliker, B. E., Verdun-Jones, S., & Vaughan, A. (2020a). The relationship between age and suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide among prisoners. Health & Justice, 8(1), 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoliker, B. E., Verdun-Jones, S., & Vaughan, A. (2020b). Psychological and sociological perspectives on suicide: A multi-level examination of suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide among prisoners. Archives of Suicide Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2020.1738294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swidler, A. (1986). Culture in action: Symbols and strategies. American Sociological Review, 51(2), 273–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tartaro, C. (2000). The impact of facility design and supervision strategies on jail violence (Order No. 9971498). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304649777).

  • Tartaro, C., & Ruddell, R. (2006). Trouble in Mayberry: A national analysis of suicides and attempts in small jails. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 31(1), 81–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2004). Survey of inmates in state and federal correctional facilities 2004 [Codebook]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Way, B. B., Miraglia, R., Sawyer, D. A., Beer, R., & Eddy, J. (2005). Factors related to suicide in New York state prisons. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 28(3), 207–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winterrowd, E., Canetto, S. S., & Benoit, K. (2015). Permissive beliefs and attitudes about older adult suicide: A suicide enabling script? Aging & Mental Health, 21(2), 173–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2014). Preventing suicide: A global imperative. Luxembourg: WHO Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., Liang, B., Zhou, Y., & Brame, W. (2010). Prison inmates’ suicidal ideation in China: A study of gender differences and their impact. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 54, 959–983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada

    Bryce E. Stoliker

  2. Department of Sociology, Criminology & Anthropology, University of Wisconsin–River Falls, River Falls, Wisconsin, 54022, USA

    Phillip M. Galli

Authors
  1. Bryce E. Stoliker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Phillip M. Galli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

BS developed the methodological plan, analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript. PG assisted in writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bryce E. Stoliker.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

No ethics approval was required for this particular study.

Consent to Participate

Consent was implicit in prisoners’ agreement to continue with the questionnaire after being informed by survey administrators the purpose of the study and that participation was voluntary.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Stoliker, B.E., Galli, P.M. Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation and Attempt According to Prisoners’ Race/Ethnicity: An Exploratory Analysis. Race Soc Probl 13, 292–305 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-020-09310-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-020-09310-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation