400 Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 35(4) August 2005  2005 The American Association of Suicidology Social Risk and Protective Factors for Suicide Attempts in Low Income African American Men and Women Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, Alissa Sherry, PhD, Kafi Bethea, BA, Sarah Wyckoff, MPH, Michael T. Compton, MD, MPH, Marnette Bender Grall, PhD, Larry Scholl, MPH, Ann Webb Price, PhD, Arthur Kellermann, MD, MPH, Nancy Thompson, PhD, MPH, and Ruth Parker, MD A case-control study was conducted to examine a broad array of potential social risk and protective factors for suicide attempt among 200 African American men and women receiving care at a large, public, urban hospital. Specifically, we examined the effect of the following potential risk factors for suicide attempt: life hassles, partner abuse, partner dissatisfaction, and racist events; as well as the following potential protective factors: effectiveness of obtaining resources, social embeddedness, and social support. Using logistic regression, suicide attempter status was predicted by two independently significant social variables: one risk factor (life hassles) and one protective factor (social support). Male versus female suicide attempters were not distinguished by the social variables. These findings, which support the utility of an ecological conceptualization of risk and protective factors for suicide attempt, help to clarify the independently significant social envi- ronment risk and protective factors for suicide attempts among economically dis- advantaged African Americans in particular. Research on both risk factors and protective factors provide a basis for culturally competent interventions aimed at reducing both the risk of future suicide attempts and completions. Dr. Nadine Kaslow, Kafi Bethea, and Dr. Michael Compton are with Department of Psychia- try and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine; Dr. Alissa Sherry is with the De- partment of Psychology at the University of Texas-Austin; Sarah Wyckoff is with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Marnette Bender is with the Department of Psychology, Georgia State University; Larry Scholl and Dr. Ann Webb Price are with MacroInternational Inc.; Dr. Arthur Kellermann is with the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine; Dr. Nancy Thompson is with the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University; and Dr. Ruth Parker is with the Department of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. This study was funded by a grant from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), entitled “Black Suicide Attempters: Risk Factors and Sex Differences.” We thank Alexandra Okun, PhD, David Morgan, MA, Jasmin Tiro, MPH, and Heather Twomey, PhD, for their assistance with study implementation. We also thank the staffs of the Grady Memorial Hospital Emergency Care Center, Psychiatric Emergency Services, Urgent Care Cen- ter, and Women’s Health Clinics for their assistance with recruiting. Address correspondence to Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine De- partment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Grady Health System, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303; E-mail: nkaslow@emory.edu.