Masculinity and Afrocentric Worldview: Assessing Risk and Protective Factors of Self-Reliance and Ubuntu on Young Black Men’s Suicide Ideation

Over the past three decades, there has been a disproportionate increase in premature deaths among young Black Males (YMBs) in the US. This devastating trend has been largely driven by suicide in YBMs. Ecological and interpersonal psychological theories can be leveraged to understand the etiology of premature death in YBMs through both risk and protective factors. This cross-sectional study assessed the influence of depression, self-reliance, Ubuntu (a commonly noted feature of the Afrocentric worldview), and attitudes toward mental health help-seeking behaviors on suicidal ideation among YBMs.

Participants (n = 422) who were identified as male, Black American, or African American and aged 18–29 years old completed an online survey between June and July 2022. Ordinal logistic regression correctly classified 76.5% of cases and found a statistically significant difference between observed and expected values.

The odds of reporting suicidal ideation were higher among those with more symptoms of depression and self-reliance and lower among participants who reported more compassion compared to the reference group.

These findings suggest that compassion, an important aspect of Ubuntu, may have a protective effect against suicidal ideation, whereas high levels of depression and self-reliance may be linked to a greater vulnerability to suicidal ideation. As such, the current study recommends that interventions should reduce suicidal ideation and increase mental well-being among YBMs.