Despite a wealth of data indicating violence as a leading cause of injury and death among youth ages 10 to 24—with a disproportionate burden on Black youth (CDC, 2012)—there is a dearth of information about the true social burden of violence on the most impacted populations. Research suggests that violence and exposure to violence have broad, negative psychological effects, with significant numbers of Black youth reporting hopelessness and the belief that they might not live to adulthood ( Burnside & Gaylord-Harden, 2019 ). Black youth exposed to violence also have higher rates of internalizing (e.g., depression and anxiety) and externalizing (e.g., aggression) symptoms of psychological distress in adolescence ( McGee, 2003 ). Remaining naïve to the structural violence youth endure, many Americans perceive today's youth as fundamentally different from past generations and attribute negative outcomes to a decline in values ( Gilliam Jr. & Benjamin, 2011 ). Further, research on adverse childhood experiences suggests that exposure to violence has long-term developmental effects on Black youth, beginning in childhood and lasting throughout adulthood ( Lee & Chen, 2017 )...
Language: en
", language="en", issn="0883-9417", doi="10.1016/j.apnu.2020.10.017", url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2020.10.017" }