African-American Mothers Who Have Experienced the Suicide of a Male Child

African-American males are more likely to face jail or prison time than men from other races and ethnicities. The violent death rate for African-American males is much greater than it is for all other segments of society. However, one area of study has not been a significant issue for young African-American males compared to their counterparts in society until recently. In the last 20 years, the pattern of the suicide rate among African-Americans has changed, and African-American males are almost as likely to commit suicide as their white counterparts (CDC, 2007). In that time period, African-American males have seen a drastic increase in the number of suicide rates per 100,000, and although that rate has declined in the past decade, it remains alarmingly high.

Researchers have considered many factors during this rise in suicide rate, but there are many areas that have not been subjected to detailed review. With the increase in suicide rates among African-American male children, the phenomenological effects on the mothers of male suicide victims in the United States has not been subjected to rigorous scholarly inquiry. The suicide rate itself has been given a great deal of attention, but how that suicide effects the people closest to the victim has not been given the same scrutiny. This has led to the formulation of policies that do not address the plight of African-American mothers who have lost a male child to suicide.

The primary issue is that this is a relatively new occurrence among the young African-American male population. Although the overall death rate of these individuals is greater than any of their age range counterparts, these deaths have not been enhanced by the number of suicides committed until very recently. The African-American community is one of different cultural and spiritual values than other in the United States, and this has greatly contributed to the relatively low rate of suicides in this population. However, these same cultural and spiritual factors hinder the dialogue needed to explore how mothers are affected by these types of deaths. Scholars usually explore a given phenomenon resulting from the need to study a given group or population and then identify measurable variables (Creswell, 2007). The research also acts as a means for the voices that have been silenced to speak through the people who knew them, and can thus help provide meaningful programs to reduce the incidence of these types of deaths.

Gibson, Gallaher & Jenkins (2010) pointed out that voices of suicide are often silent for a variety of reasons. Families express denial, shame as well as betrayal due to suicide by one of their members. Most of them prefer to forget about the phenomenon and simply move on with their lives. The families and community groups that knew young African-American men who committed suicide are often even more insular because they have learned to distrust what they see as the intrusion of outsiders into their trusted circle. Since suicide is such a personal event, it is even more difficult for the family, especially close family like the mother, to speak of the devastation caused by the act.

Significance

Since little is known about how African-American mothers actually react to suicides committed by a son, there is little knowledgeable help that the therapeutic community can give to them. It is known that grief is a very private event, maybe even more private in this community because of institutional lack of trust, so getting mothers to tell relate how they have been effected will be central to making sure that other mothers in a similar situation are able to receive better regulated assistance from helping professionals. The body of research in any field is necessary to formulate treatment plans, and the lack of knowledge in this area prevents such plans to be made to any realistic extent. The study can continue the dialogue on suicide in the African-American community, describe the role of spirituality in relationship to suicide, as well as discuss what programs/resources were utilized and are available in the community. It can also serve as a means to develop new programs which increase the effectiveness of the help given to African-American mothers.

Knowledge Base Gaps

The data supporting suicide prevention in the African-American community has largely been taken from studies conducted on the numbers that arise from census and CDC data which does not discuss reasons for phenomena. The data gives researchers a firm look at trends such as the rise in rate of suicides, but it is little able to help researchers develop effective means to help the survivors of the suicide. Since the African-American family unit is highly matriarchal, it would follow that mothers are affected to a greater degree than other members of the family or community. Also, suicide seems an even more senseless method of death than community violence, so it is inherently more difficult for the survivors to deal with.