You are to focus on presenting the statistical data from the study in a manner that is understandable and assess-able of your understanding of the concepts taught throughout the course. Presentations

You are to focus on presenting the statistical data from the study in a manner that is understandable and assess-able of your understanding of the concepts taught throughout the course. Presentations
Running head: SUICIDE INCIDENCE AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES 1 Analysis of Suicide Incidence among 35-55 African American Males Name Date Course Professor’s Name Institution Analysis of Suicide Incidence among 35-55 African American Males Introduction Men dominate the statistics of suicide around the world. This can be attributed to factors such as they are heavy abusers of alcohol and drugs, they are reluctant to seek professional help, and they commit suicide using more lethal means. Besides, an essential contribution to this is that men do not respond to stress like women do because they prefer keeping to themselves, withdrawing, and suffering in silence. This all points out the concept of masculinity where men are required to suppress their emotions because it is deemed as being weak. Stone, Jones & Mack (2021) highlighted that suicide is the number four leading reason of death in individuals between ages 35 to 44. This paper will analyze the suicide incidence among 35 to 55-year-old African American males, the risk factors or causes of suicide as well as highlight some of the strategies that can be employed in reducing suicide rates among this population. Causes of Suicide Even with the history of racial discrimination and poverty among African Americans, the suicide rates among this category of people are relatively low compared to other groups. Lincoln et. al. (2012) established that this can be attributed to factors such as coping factors, familial and religious factors. However, facts still hold that the number or percentage of men that have committed suicide is quite significant compared to the number of women that commit suicide among this population. As Ji et. al. (2020) presented, this can be attributed to job stressors, which are associated with increased pressure. Ideally, a lot is demanded from men particularly when they have families because they are required to work extra work to provide for their families. This has been proven to be the number one stressor among men and one of the main reasons why men succumb to depression and in worst cases be driven to suicide. Moreover, the table below reveals that the percentage of men (77.7%) committing suicide due to job-related stress is high; however, African Americans come in second after Americans. Figure 1: Job-related suicide rates between professions Source: Ji et. al. (2020) The second cause of suicide among African Americans is a negative interaction. As Lincoln et. al. (2012) presented, negative interaction can cause emotional distress stemming from excessive demands, conflict, and constant criticisms. Negative interaction has been categorized as a chronic and acute stressor that is often directed towards men, particularly those that are married. Besides, the impact of negative interactions is quite detrimental because they might drive a man into depression especially if they fail to provide for their families in a way that they demanded to show up financially. This could be overwhelming and self-reliance (Pirkis et.al. 2016), which is linked to masculinity, prevents them from sharing their struggles with other people for fear of facing stigma from society. Therefore, this is one of the main causes of depression among Blacks. This is evidenced in the table below. Figure 2: The relationship between negative interaction and suicide rates Source: Lincoln et. al. (2012) Prevention Measures Lincoln et. al. (2012) further highlighted the relationship between emotional support, and suicide rates among Caribbean blacks and African Americans and established that emotional support would be essential in reducing the risks of suicidal attempts in men. This can be manifested through showing support and understanding towards the man and refraining from putting a lot of pressure on a man especially if they struggling financially. Besides, emotional support can be shown through forming close bonds with family members in such a manner that they would notice a change in the behavior of a man and thus devise strategies that they would use to help them deal with this stress. While men do not like sharing their issues with other people, providing emotional support in the form of establishing an understanding environment within the family would make the man open up about their struggles. This would consequently reduce emotional distress, which would bring about suicidal thoughts. See the table below. Figure 3: The relationship between emotional support and suicide rates Source: Lincoln et. al. (2012) Another prevention measure is de-stigmatizing efforts. Oliffe et. al. (2016) argued that these efforts can include creating awareness about male depression to encourage more men to talk about their issues without the fear of stigmatization. Besides, de-stigmatizing efforts can be aided by addressing suicidal thoughts or male depression and reworking masculine ideals of control, strength, and self-reliance towards disclosing information about their mental health struggles. This would ultimately help in encouraging them to seek professional help thus reducing suicide rates among this population. Conclusion While the suicide rates among men worldwide are significantly higher than that of women, the rate of suicide among African Americans aged between ages of 35-55 is lower, contrary to what might have been anticipated. The preceding paragraphs have detailed some of the factors that might be contributing to the high suicide rates among African Americans because the percentage is still higher compared to women. It is common for men within the above age group to experience a lot of stress from both their jobs and negative interaction with their families because they are required to provide. Nevertheless, the prevention measures explained in the paper are some of the strategies that can be employed in dealing with this issue. References Ji, Y. D., Robertson, F.C., Patel, N. A., Peacock, Z. S. & Resnick, C. M. (2020). Assessment of Risk Factors for Suicide Among US Health Care Professionals. JAMA Surg;155(8):713–721. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2020.1338. Lincoln, K.D., Taylor, R.J., Chatters, L.M., Joe, S. (2012). Suicide, negative interaction and emotional support among black Americans. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 47, 1947-1958. Oliffe, J. L., Ogrodniczuk, J. S., Gordon, S. J., Creighton, G., Kelly, M. T., Black, N., & Mackenzie, C. (2016). Stigma in male depression and suicide: A Canadian sex comparison study. Community Mental Health Journal, 52(3), 302–310. Pirkis, J., Spittal, M.J., Keogh, L., Mousaferiadis, T., Currie, D. (2016). Masculinity and suicidal thinking. Soc Psychiarty Psychiatr Epidemiol, 52(3), 319-327 Stone, D. M., Jones, C. M., Mack, K. A. (2021) Changes in Suicide Rates – the United States, 2018-2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.70(8):261-268. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7008a1. PMID: 33630824; PMCID: PMC8344989.