Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Nov-Dec:83:101967.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2022.101967. Epub 2022 Jul 14.

Anticipation of Racially Motivated Police Brutality and Youth Mental Health

Lindsey Webb  1 , Dylan B Jackson  2 , Monique Jindal  3 , Sirry Alang  4 , Tamar Mendelson  1   2 , Laura K Clary  1
Affiliations

Anticipation of Racially Motivated Police Brutality and Youth Mental Health

Lindsey Webb et al. J Crim Justice. 2022 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: Exposure to police brutality is a significant risk to adolescent mental health. This study extends this literature by exploring connections between anticipation of racially motivated police brutality and multiple facets of adolescent mental health.

Methods: Students ages 14 to 18 (n = 151) were recruited from a study administered in Baltimore City public schools. Between December 2020 and July 2021, participants completed a questionnaire assessing anticipatory stress regarding racially motivated police brutality and current mental health. Regression models examined associations between this anticipatory stress and mental health. Latent profile and regression analyses were used to examine whether anticipatory stress was more salient among adolescents with comorbid mental health symptoms, compared to those without comorbid symptoms.

Results: Youth with anticipatory stress stemming from both personal and vicarious police brutality had more symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, as well as lower hope, compared to youth without anticipatory stress. The association between anticipatory stress and anxiety was stronger for girls than boys.

Conclusions: Findings from this study highlight racialized police brutality as a common anticipated stressor among youth, particularly for girls. Findings have implications for policing interventions, including development of additional trainings for police officers and promoting positive police/youth interactions.

Keywords: adolescents; anticipatory stress; mental health; police brutality; racial motivation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Z-score conditional response means by comorbidity profile membership
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alang S. (2020). Police brutality and the institutional pattern of stressors. American Journal of Public Health, 110(11), 1597–1598. 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305937 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alang S, McAlpine D, & McClain M (2021). Police Encounters as Stressors: Associations with Depression and Anxiety across Race. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 7, 237802312199812. 10.1177/2378023121998128 - DOI
    1. Alang S, Pando C, McClain M, Batts H, Letcher A, Hager J, Person T, Shaw A, Blake K, & Matthews-Alvarado K (2021). Survey of the Health of Urban Residents: A Community-Driven Assessment of Conditions Salient to the Health of Historically Excluded Populations in the USA. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 8(4), 953–972. 10.1007/s40615-020-00852-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Avison W, Aneshensel CS, Schieman S, & Wheaton B (Eds.). (2009). Advances in the conceptualization of the stress process: Essays in honor of Leonard L. Pearlin. Springer Science & Business Media.
    1. Bailey ZD, Krieger N, Agénor M, Graves J, Linos N, & Bassett MT (2017). Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: Evidence and interventions. The Lancet, 389(10077), 1453–1463. 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30569-X - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources