A Trauma- and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)-Informed Approach to Suicide Prevention in School: Black Boys’ Lives Matter

Abstract

Black boys have been dying by suicide at an increasing rate. Although the reasons for this increase are unknown, suicide in Black boys is likely influenced by multiple, intersecting risk factors, including historical and ongoing trauma. Schools can serve as an important mechanism of support for Black boys; however, without intentional antiracist frameworks that acknowledge how intersecting identities can exacerbate risk for suicide, schools can overlook opportunities for care and perpetuate a cycle of racism that compromises the mental health of Black youth. By recognizing their own implicit biases, modeling antiracist practices, listening to and recognizing the strengths and diversity of Black youth, and fostering school-family-community partnerships, school psychologists can help transform the school environment to be a safe and culturally affirming place for Black youth. This paper outlines how school psychologists can apply a trauma- and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)-informed approach to suicide prevention in order to more holistically support Black boys, disrupt patterns of aggressive disciplinary procedures, and improve school-based suicide prevention programs. By applying this lens across a multitiered systems of support (MTSS) framework, school psychologists can help to prevent the deaths of Black boys and begin to prioritize the lives of Black boys.

Impact Statement

This article calls on school psychologists to take a trauma- and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)-informed approach for school-based suicide prevention and interventions. The sociopolitical context of suicide risk and protective factors in Black boys, as well as the influence of intersecting identities on these factors, underscores the importance of antiracist approaches towards building school-community-family partnerships. A trauma and JEDI-informed approach to suicide prevention necessitates a culturally responsive collective impact team and culturally grounded approaches to prevention and intervention across a multitiered systems of support for prioritizing Black boys’ lives.

Keywords:

• Suicide
• mental health services
• prevention
• social justice
• trauma
• violence
• school and community

ASSOCIATE EDITOR:

• Isaac Woods

DISCLOSURE

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or NIJ.

Notes

1 Because Black boys are often viewed as older and less innocent than their White counterparts (Goff et al., 2014), we intentionally use the term “boy” to refer to male children and adolescents, as opposed to the term “male.”

2 Because much of the relevant research has been conducted with Black youth (inclusive of boys, girls, and other genders), we present research related to Black boys specifically whenever possible, and also present research related to Black youth generally.

3 We follow the convention recommended by Burkett (2017) and refer to barriers as obstructed use to centralize the historical and ongoing socio–cultural trauma and environmental conditions that have prevented and blocked access to care for Black Americans.

4 Although this article focuses on Black boys, it is important to emphasize that Black girls are also disproportionately suspended at higher rates that NLW boys and girls; Annamma et al., 2019.

5 We caution against the probable occurrence of tasking team members of color, particularly Black men, with responding to every occurrence of disruptive behaviors among Black boys at an inequitable rate compared to their colleagues. Consider the time, effort, and emotional toil required to perform these activities and if a high-level of engagement warrants their service, consult with them on this issue and compensate (e.g., in time or financially) accordingly.

Additional information

Funding

Marisa E. Marraccini’s effort was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (K23-MH122775-01; Marraccini). Katherine Ingram’s effort was supported by The National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship (2020-R2-CX-0037; Ingram).

Notes on contributors

Marisa E. Marraccini

Marisa E. Marraccini, PhD, is an assistant professor in the school psychology program in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on promoting mental health in school settings. Specifically, her work aims to integrate school context into clinical interventions for youth with suicide-related thoughts and behaviors and enhance school supports for adolescents recovering from suicide-related crises.

Constance A. Lindsay

Constance A. Lindsay, PhD, is an assistant professor in the education policy and organizational leadership area in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on how to close racialized achievement gaps and how to create a high quality, diverse educator workforce.

Dana Griffin

Dana Griffin, PhD, is an associate professor in the school counseling program in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research integrates her training in school and marriage and family counseling by focusing on the role of school counselors in building relationships with parents and developing school-family-community partnerships to address the academic, social, and emotional well-­being of adolescents, particularly in Black and low-income populations.

Meghan J. Greene

Meghan J. Greene, MEd, is a doctoral student in School Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests include promoting mental health in school settings, including assessments and interventions that address internalizing disorders and support Black adolescent mental health. Meghan received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Krystal T. Simmons

Krystal T. Simmons, PhD, is a clinical professor in school psychology program in the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. Her clinical and research interests include school crisis intervention, culturally competent intervention practices among school, clinical, and family partnerships, and doctoral training in health service psychology education programs.

Katherine M. Ingram

Katherine M. Ingram, MS, is a doctoral student in School Psychology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Holding a masters degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Florida, she aims to use research and clinical practice to support adolescents in fostering healthy peer relationships and preventing interpersonal violence. Currently, she provides psychological services on the UNC Health Center Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatient Unit and has received a dissertation fellowship from NIJ to study the utility of a basic behavioral model applied to nonconsensual sexting among adolescents.