ABSTRACT
Racism-based experiences among Black African immigrants in the United States are a growing concern due to the prevalence of these events and risk for negative health (mental, behavioral, and physical) outcomes. This integrative review appraised published studies (2012-2023) addressing the relationship between racism-based experiences and adverse health for Black African immigrants. Articles were identified using structured search terms in several databases (APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science), Google Scholar, and citation mining. A total of fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies found a significant positive association between racism-based experiences and adverse mental (n = 9), behavioral (n = 3), and physical (n = 2) health outcomes. Racism-based experiences appear to have mental, behavioral, and physical health consequences for Black African immigrant adults. Given the growing population of Black African immigrants in the United States, more work is needed to elucidate the relationship between racism-based experiences and negative health outcomes.
ABSTRACT
Community violence exposure (CVE) and its health impact is a public health crisis. Violent crime has steadily increased over recent years and has disproportionately affected Black communities. Emerging adulthood (18-29 years old) is a vulnerable period of development and Black emerging adults may be at increased risk for negative physical and mental health consequences from CVE. This integrative review was conducted to evaluate available evidence on health outcomes in Black emerging adults exposed to CVE. This review appraised published studies (2012-2022) addressing physical and mental health outcomes of Black emerging adults with CVE. Articles were identified using structured search terms in several databases (CINAHL, PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science), a gray literature search, and citation mining. A total of 177 studies were identified for screening and 19 studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The majority of studies found a significant positive association between CVE and adverse mental (n = 12) and physical (n = 7) health outcomes. CVE appears to have both mental and physical health consequences for Black emerging adults. Given that violent crime disproportionately increased in Black communities and Black people are more likely to develop chronic health conditions at younger ages, more work is needed to elucidate the relationship between CVE and health outcomes.
ABSTRACT
Objectives. To examine the impact of school shootings on indicators of adolescent school safety in the United States. Methods. We linked 2009-2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data on 211 236 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years from 24 school districts with data on high school shootings from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security. We conducted 2-way fixed-effects logistic regression models to assess the impact of shootings on self-report of 3 indicators of school safety: avoiding school because of feeling unsafe, carrying a weapon at school, and being threatened or injured with a weapon at school. Results. High school shootings were associated with adolescents having 20% greater odds of avoiding school because of feeling unsafe (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] = 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 1.29) than those who had not. Findings were slightly attenuated in sensitivity analyses that tested exposure to shootings at any school in the district or state. High school shootings were associated with a statistically nonsignificant (P = .08) elevated risk of carrying a weapon at school (AOR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.99, 1.25). Conclusions. The negative ramifications of school shootings extend far beyond the event itself to adolescents' concerns about school safety. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(4):438-441. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307206).
