Carrie DuBose


Police Violence and the Mental Health of Black Americans: A Within-Group Analysis

In 2017, Black Americans were disproportionately represented in police killings in the U.S. Research has demonstrated that police violence negatively impacts mental health, and Black Americans worry more about police violence than other races. Black is a broad racial category, and Black Americans vary in sociopolitical and historical background, which impacts ethnic/racial identity (ERI) and experiences with discrimination. This mixed methods study examined perceptions of police and the effect of police violence on the mental health of 20 Black Americans from four ethnic backgrounds: Black/African American, East African, Biracial/Multiracial, and West African. Quantitative results showed no significant differences in perception of police or worry about police violence; however, thematic analyses demonstrated variation in type of and response to worry, and trends between groups in mental and physical distress after the police killing of George Floyd. Biracial/Multiracial participants reported significantly more emotional distress than all other groups, attributing their symptoms in part to loss of social support. These results suggest that wellbeing is significantly impacted by worry about police violence, though the contributing factors and responses vary slightly by group. 

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