Suicide and Eating Disordered Behavior Among Individuals of African Descent:

About the Book

This book examines the relationship between culture and psychopathology to determine if proposed psychological risk factors ( low ethnic identification and high level of acculturative stress) are predictive of several key mental health variables related to suicide and eating disorder behaviors (depression, anxiety, suicidality, body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness) in individuals of African descent in the U.S. Results confirm the hypothesis that low ethnic identification attitudes (low African Self-fortification) interacts with acculturative stress to predict greater suicidality in African American men while a low value for African Centered Relationships predicts Drive for Thinness in African American women.

About the Author

I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University, where I taught general psychology, worked with juvenile sex offenders and forensic psychiatric inpatients. Upon graduation I was offered a visiting professorship at Florida A&M University, where I taught multiple undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, including Introduction Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Psychological Assessment. I served as chair for the Annual Imhotep Multidisciplinary Student Research Conference and assisted in the planning and implementation of the First Annual Black/African Psychology Conference, where I presented research found in this book. I hope this work is beneficial to researchers, clinicians, and laypersons. Peace.