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PTSD, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation in African American Women: A Mediated Model

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Abstract

Although research has shown positive associations among post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation, the nature of these relations is unclear, especially in African American women. This study examined the associations among these comorbid psychological difficulties in a sample of 136 low-income, African American women. Specifically, the goal of this investigation was to ascertain if overall depressive symptoms, as well as both the cognitive-affective and somatic components of depression, mediated the PTSD-suicidal ideation link. Results from bootstrapping analyses revealed that overall depressive symptoms and the cognitive-affective components of depression, but not the somatic components, mediated the PTSD-suicidal ideation link.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: R49 CCR421767-01 entitled Group Interventions with Suicidal African American Women and a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health: 1R01MH078002-01A2 entitled Group Interventions for Abused, Suicidal Black Women, both awarded to the last author (Kaslow).

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  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Grady Health System, School of Medicine, Emory University, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, NE, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Erika R. Carr, Amanda M. Woods, Arshya Vahabzadeh, Carla Sutton, Justine Wittenauer & Nadine J. Kaslow

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  1. Erika R. Carr
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  2. Amanda M. Woods
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  3. Arshya Vahabzadeh
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Correspondence to Nadine J. Kaslow.

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Carr, E.R., Woods, A.M., Vahabzadeh, A. et al. PTSD, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation in African American Women: A Mediated Model. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 20, 37–45 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-012-9316-1

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