Suicide Among Black Americans

Using data from the 2001-04 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and vital statistics data for the same period, we compared demographic patterns of gun ownership and suicide between Black and White men. The gun ownership patterns were very similar (e.g., gun ownership increased with age, and was higher in rural communities) but the suicide patterns were not. White demographic firearm suicide patterns reflected their gun ownership patterns, but Black firearm suicide fell with age, and was equal in rural and urban areas. Differences in Black and White suicide patterns cannot be explained by differences in gun ownership patterns.

Hemenway D, Zhang W. Patterns of household gun ownership and firearm suicide among Black men compared to White men. Preventive Medicine. 2022; 165 (Part A): 107318.

We use state level data on gun ownership from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for 2001-2004, and state-level Vital Statistics data to compare the relationship across states between gun ownership and suicide separately for White adults and Black adults. For Whites the correlations between guns and firearm suicide (.82) and overall suicide rates (.63) are as expected. However, for Blacks, the comparable correlations are (.67) and (.17).

Future studies will try to explain this differential racial relationship.

Hemenway D, Azrael D, Zhang W, Miller M. Black household gun ownership and Black suicide rates across US states. Journal of the National Medical Association. 2023; 115:263-169.