RESEARCH PLAN OVERVIEW 2
Research Plan Overview- Phenomenology of Suicide-Related Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior among African American Females
Name: Delondria Hines
Stage of Completion: Stage 1
I. Introduction
A. Problem Statement
1. The problem is that there has been limited research conducted on the
increase in suicide rates in recent years among African American
women.
a. Goodwill, J. R. (2023). Reasons for suicide in black young adults:
A latent class analysis. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health
Disparities, 1–16. Advance Online Publication.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01530-8
b. Spates, K., & Slatton, B. C. (2021). Repertoire of resilience: Black
women’s social resistance to suicide. Social Problems, spab072.
https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spab072
c. Yara Mekawi, Lewis, C. B., Watson-Singleton, N. N., Jatta, I. F.,
Ander, llana, Lamis, D. A., Dunn, S. M., & Kaslow, N. J. (2020).
Racial identity profiles among suicidal black women: A replication
and extension study. Journal of Black Studies, 51(7), 685–704.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934720935601
2. Although it is well acknowledged that suicide rates among women have
historically been lower than among men, no research has specifically
examined the suicide rates of Black women in specific age categories
and possible factors that caused it (Price & Khubchandani, 2019).
a. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020).ETen leading
causes of death and injury - PDFs|Injury Center|CDC. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/LeadingCauses.htmlrelated
literature source
RESEARCH PLAN OVERVIEW 3
b. Price, J. H., & Khubchandani, J. (2019). The changing
characteristics of African American adolescent suicides, 2001-
2017. Journal of Community Health, 44(4), 756–763.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00678-x
B. Purpose
1. The purpose of this study is to better describe this underserved
population's unique challenges that has caused an increase in suicidal
behaviors in African American women between the ages of 18-30.
C. General research questions
1. What measures may be used to increase public awareness of the rising
suicide rates among African American women?
2. How do African American women characterize the circumstances that
gave rise to their suicidal thoughts and behaviors?
3. How do African American women define the danger signs of suicidal
thoughts and actions?
D. Research Plan
1. Qualitative research will be utilized for this research plan.
2. Qualitative research methods are well-suited for analyzing the influence
of suicide-related beliefs, attitudes, and behavior among African
American women. The method comprehensively explores their lived
experiences, perspectives, and the complex sociocultural factors
contributing to their mental health and well-being (Creswell & Poth,
2018).
II. Review of Related Literature
A. Theoretical Framework
1. I follow the ontological assumption because it enables the researcher to
summarize the participants experiences (Creswell & Poth, 2018).
2. Social constructionism is the theory that has helped define this study.
According to this perspective, systemic, societal, and cultural factors
impact suicide as a social phenomenon (Mueller et al., 2021).
Researchers who hold this assumption may seek to investigate
RESEARCH PLAN OVERVIEW 4
sociocultural factors unique to African American women that influence
their suicidal ideation and behavior.
B. Important Thinkers/experts/theorists in this field of study
1. Lewis, T. T. & Van Dyke, M. E. (2018). Discrimination and the health
of African Americans: The potential importance of intersectionalities.
Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, 27(3), 176–182.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418770442
a. This article argues for the necessity of investigating
intersectionalities in studies of discrimination and physical health
among African Americans and gives an overview of research in
this field.
b. The article captures a broader spectrum of complexities in studying
discrimination and health among African Americans, which may
be justifiable.
2. Ramchand, R., Gordon, J. A., & Pearson, J. L. (2021). Trends in Suicide
Rates by Race and Ethnicity in the United States. JAMA Network Open,
4(5), e2111563. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11563
a. The research addressed mounting worries about rising suicide rates
among African American youths, which prompted a look into
subgroup patterns over the last two decades.
b. The study examined trends in suicide among subgroups, which is
essential for informing prevention efforts that reach everyone.
C. Related Research
1. Curtin, Sally C. and Hedegaard, Holly (2019). Suicide rates for females
and males by race and ethnicity: United States, 1999 and 2017
a. The article discusses the suicide rates of males and females
according to race and ethnicity.
b. The significance of the study lies in the fact that the number of
suicide deaths among racial and ethnic groups may be
underestimated.
RESEARCH PLAN OVERVIEW 5
2. Spates, K., & Slatton, B. C. (2018). I’ve got my family and my faith:
Black women and the suicide paradox. Socius: Sociological Research
for a Dynamic World, 3, 1-9 https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023117743908
a. The research investigates the elements that black women consider
protective against suicide by conducting in-depth, semi-structured
interviews with 33 black women born in the United States.
b. Few studies provide African American women's perspectives,
despite existing suicide literature's suggestion that African
American women's strong social networks and religious affiliations
shield them from suicide.
III. Methods
A. Design (approach) and Rationale
1. Which approach are you using? (Phenomenological, Case Study,
Grounded Theory)
2. Why is this approach a valid design for your study?
B. Site
1. Pseudonym (made up name of the site)
2. Location (general information, i.e., “large high school in central VA”)
3. Specific demographics
4. Other pertinent information about the site
C. Participants
1. How many?
2. How selected?
3. Specific information (gender, age, etc.)
D. Role of Researcher or Personal biography (the 2nd is much more detailed…you
will have to decide what you believe is more pertinent to your study)
1. Name
2. Job
3. Background information
4. Anything else that will impact how you view the data and the research
surroundings (i.e., I would have to put my love affair with God)
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E. Data Collection (a critical aspect of qualitative inquiry is rigorous and varied data
collection techniques)
1. Method 1(i.e., interviews)
a. detail (i.e., principal at least 3 times)
b. detail (i.e., parents, snowball sampling, etc.)
2. Method 2
a. detail
b. detail
3. Method 3
a. detail
b. detail
F. Data Analysis
1. 1st Technique (i.e., open coding)
a. information about it (i.e., organizing data into…)
b. specific information on how this process will be done
c. why important (i.e., this process allows the researcher to…)
2. 2nd Technique (i.e., constant comparison method of looking at data…)
G. Trustworthiness (the reliability, dependability, and transferability information
goes here)
1. 1st Technique (i.e., member checks)
a. information about it (i.e., having participants review and respond
to…)
b. why important (i.e., this process increases the reliability of the
study because…)
2. 2nd Technique (i.e., audit trail)
a. information about it
b. why important
3. 3rd Technique (i.e., reflexivity or memoing)
a. information about it
b. why important
c. and so on…
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References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020).ETen leading causes of death and injury –
PDFs|Injury Center|CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Creswell, J. W. & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among
five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications
Curtin, S.C. & Hedegaard, H. (2019). Suicide rates for females and males by race and ethnicity:
United States, 1999 and 2017. NCHS Health E-Stat. 2019.
Goodwill, J. R. (2023). Reasons for suicide in black young adults: A latent class analysis.
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 1–16. Advance Online Publication.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01530-8
Lewis, T. T. & Van Dyke, M. E. (2018). Discrimination and the health of African Americans:
The potential importance of intersectionalities. Current Directions in Psychological
Sciences, 27(3), 176–182. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418770442
Mueller, A. S., Abrutyn, S., Pescosolido, B., & Diefendorf, S. (2021). The social roots of suicide:
Theorizing how the external social world matters to suicide and suicide prevention.
Frontiers in Psychology, 12(12). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.621569
Price, J. H., & Khubchandani, J. (2019). The changing characteristics of African American
adolescent suicides, 2001-2017. Journal of Community Health, 44(4), 756–763.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00678-x
Ramchand, R., Gordon, J. A., & Pearson, J. L. (2021). Trends in Suicide Rates by Race and
Ethnicity in the United States. JAMA Network Open, 4(5), e2111563.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11563
Spates, K., & Slatton, B. C. (2018). I’ve got my family and my faith: Black women and the
suicide paradox. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 3, 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023117743908
Spates, K., & Slatton, B. C. (2021). Repertoire of resilience: Black women’s social resistance to
suicide. Social Problems, spab072. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spab072
Appendix A Timeline and Budget
Be specific. Here is an example:
August 2021—Finish coursework ($ for these items)
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September 2021—Get committee together and register for dissertation course ($)
Spring 2022—Defend proposal ($)
Summer 2022—Submit research plan to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for
approval ($)
And so on…
Appendix B Interview Questions/Guide
What are the general questions you will ask?
Questions should be opened ended; no yes/no questions
Appendix C: Other Data Collection Procedures (e.g. Focus Groups, Document Analysis, Writing
Prompts, Observations, etc.)
How will you gather information?
Will you use a template with time stamps (every 5 minutes mark the time)?
Will you use a map of the room and scan from left to right?
Will you focus on following a participant?
Appendix D Consent Form
Include a robust, substantive consent form; check out Liberty’s IRB Website for example(s). Do
you need one for various participants? If you need one for students/minors, it is called an ‘assent
form.’
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