"I am a survivor!": Violently Injured Black Men's Perceptions of Labeling After a Violent Firearm Injury.

Self-appraisal after a life-altering event is a critical process for individuals, often comprised by assigned labels that may not align with an individuals' perceptions of themselves or of their situation. Existing research within this victim-survivor dichotomy largely rests in the interpersonal violence space, with a victim assuming legal recourse and wrongdoing, and a survivor associating with positive personal characteristics like grit and resilience. Much existing literature on self-appraisal after interpersonal injury is heavily concentrated within the sexual violence literature, and this study applies these concepts to a sample of Black men injured by firearms. Ten Black men enrolled in a hospital-based violence intervention program (HVIP) were interviewed to understand how they label their experience of firearm injury, and if their perceptions aligned with common labels seen among other populations and/or in other areas of study (e.g., cancer, domestic violence). Each participant assigned themselves their own label, with three labels emerging: survivor, victim and survivor, and neither victim nor survivor. The results illustrate the nuance of experiences beyond the victim-survivor dichotomy, and how labels and personal identities may shift following injury into new terms and considerations of resilience and trauma processing. More research is warranted to understand the factors that shape self-labeling within this population, including influences of masculine norms, racialized stereotypes, community context, and availability of services. Findings support public awareness campaigns to reframe surviving violence as a strength, and for community partners and practitioners to increase access to culturally competent and trauma-informed mental healthcare.

Protect and Provide: Perceptions of Manhood and Masculinities Among Disabled Violently Injured Black Men in a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program.

Exploring the post-injury lives of those who have survived gunshot wounds is essential to understanding the entire scope of firearm violence. The lives of Black male firearm violence survivors are transformed in various ways due to their injuries both visible and invisible. This study explored how Black men who suffer from disabilities via a firearm negotiated their masculine identities. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 violently injured Black men participating in a hospital-based violence intervention program. Survivors expressed their thoughts on how their injuries impacted their manhood and masculinities. Three themes emerged: (1) perceptions of manhood, (2) loss of independence and burden on others, and (3) and mobility. These themes highlighted and described how their lives were impacted post-injury and characterized their psychological and physical experience of recovery. The research findings suggest the need for more qualitative studies to further explore the relationship between firearm injury, Black masculinity, and perceptions of manhood. While Black men are understudied in health research and invisible in disability research, they continue to be hyper-invisible when discussing violently acquired disabilities.

What's missing? Violently injured Black men's narratives around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences have been associated with future outcomes; however, Felitti's 1998 ACEs questionnaire fails to capture the experiences of Black populations living in disinvested neighborhoods making it necessary to expand the ACEs questionnaire to examine the life experiences of violently injured Black men. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to advance the understanding of ACEs among Black male firearm violence survivors using the ACEs questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Ten Black male firearm violence survivors were recruited from an urban HVIP. Case managers conducted recruitment using the HVIP's REDcap database; active and previous HVIP participants were eligible for the study. METHODS: A qualitative study design was used to understand the childhood experiences of Black male firearm violence survivors using Felitti's ACEs questionnaire and a semi-structured interview examining perceptions of their childhood experiences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment and interviews were conducted over the phone. RESULTS: All participants experienced at least one ACE. Three themes arose from the interviews: youth incarceration, family separation and loss, and housing transition. Men at risk for violent injury experience ACEs beyond those measured in the current instrument.

Would Caring Teachers Buffer the Link Between Violence Victimization and Early Sexual Initiation? Comparing Heterosexual and Non-Heterosexual African American Youth.

This study investigated the relationship between youth violence exposures (i.e., peer and neighborhood) and early sexual initiation. It also explored whether caring relationships with teachers might moderate this relationship and whether results differed for heterosexual versus non-heterosexual African American youth. The study sample (N = 580) comprised 475 heterosexual and 105 non-heterosexual youths, 319 female and 261 male, ages 13 to 24 years (M age = 15.8). Students were assessed for peer and neighborhood violence, relationship with teachers, early sexual initiation, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Major results indicated a positive relationship between exposure to peer and neighborhood violence and early sexual initiation for heterosexual youth but not those who identified as non-heterosexual. Further, identifying as female (vs. male) was significantly associated with later sexual initiation for both heterosexual and non-heterosexual youth. In addition, caring teachers moderated the relationship between exposure to peer violence and age of sexual initiation among non-heterosexual youth. Programs and interventions to curtail violence sequelae would need to consider the unique effects of various types of youth violence exposures and the significance of sexual orientation.

Inequities in Anticipatory Stress of Police Brutality and Depressed Mood Among Women.

BACKGROUND: Police brutality towards racially minoritized populations is structural racism. Even though most of the research on the health impacts of police brutality centers the experiences of men, women are also harmed by this structural violence. OBJECTIVES: We identify factors associated with the anticipatory stress of police brutality among women and examine its relationship with depressed mood across ethno-racial categories. METHODS: Data came from the cross-sectional Survey of the Health of Urban Residents in the United States (N = 2796). Logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with odds of always worrying about the possibility of becoming a victim of police brutality and to examine its association with depression among Latinas, Black, and White women. RESULTS: Odds of always worrying about police brutality were greater among Black women and Latinas compared to White women. Household history of incarceration was associated with anticipation of police brutality among Black women and Latinas but not among White women. Black women and Latinas with constant anticipation of police brutality and history of incarceration of a household member during their childhood had elevated odds of depressed mood. CONCLUSION: Although police brutality harms all women, the stressful anticipation of police brutality does not burden all women equally. Structural racism in communities of color continues to be associated with the anticipatory stress of police brutality and it harms the mental health of women of color. Developing policies to eliminate structural racism and for the allocation of resources to persons who are strongly impacted by these injustices is important.

Subtypes of Bullying and Types of Substance Use among Urban African American Adolescents: Who Is Likely to Use What?

The present study examined the types of drugs likely to be used by bullies, victims, and bully/victims. Participants comprise African American adolescents from three high schools, one youth church group, two community youth programs, and four public venues in low-income communities in Chicago's Southside. A series of logistic regression analyses and latent class analyses were employed. Victims are likely to use alcohol, marijuana, and lean/krokodil. Bullies were likely to use alcohol and marijuana. Bully/victims were not at risk of any of the substances. Our LCA findings revealed a lower occurrence of substance use among victims although 30% used alcohol and marijuana; more than half of bullies showed high levels of alcohol, marijuana, and lean/krokodil use; a diverse pattern of drug use was shown among bully/victims although their lean/krokodil and crack/cocaine use was higher than other subgroups of bullying. The drugs of choice for African American bullies, victims, or bully/victims are variable.

Racial Identity, Masculinities, and Violence Exposure: Perspectives From Male Adolescents in Marginalized Neighborhoods.

PURPOSE: Male youths living in neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage are exposed to high levels of violence, which increases the risk for violence victimization and perpetration and shapes identify formation. We explored male youths' conceptions of manhood, influences on manhood, and intersections with interpersonal violence in the context of a community-partnered sexual violence prevention study. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews with predominantly Black males, aged 14-19 years, participating in a gender-transformative sexual violence prevention study. We used an iterative coding process to identify developing themes around youths' definitions of manhood, influences on manhood, and intersections with racial identity and racism. RESULTS: Participants outlined visions of manhood that included many traditionally masculine attributes and also offered nuance and subversion of traditional masculinity. Participants' definitions of manhood centered on themes of responsibility while also acknowledging the importance of emotional expression. Many participants described growing into manhood as a journey toward becoming a moral agent. Participants identified three predominant influences on their conceptions and experiences of manhood: (1) family and community connections; (2) interpersonal and structural racism; and (3) racial pride. Family, particularly fathers and other father figures, emerged as invaluable in understanding manhood and navigating racial identities. CONCLUSIONS: These stories suggest that the process of entering manhood comes with unique challenges for adolescents who do so in the context of community violence and racism. Being mindful of intersections between masculinity and racial injustice can inform violence prevention programs that address the lived experiences of minority male youths in neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage.