“Am I Next?”: A qualitative study of Black college students’ experiences of stress, trauma, and grief from exposures to police killings

“Take a Mental Break”: Examining the Coping Efforts of Black College Students Exposed to Police Killings

“…One form of activism that students participated in following a police killing was "boots on the ground" activism, which included attending local and national protests, joining social movements like Black Lives Matter, and speaking on community discussion panels. Despite being in the midst of global health pandemic (Wilson et al, 2023), students mentioned how participating in protests was not only an outlet to express outrage at the deaths of unarmed Black people, but also a strategy to cope with the difficulties of social isolation from the current pandemic.…”

“…While many people attempt to move on with their lives after a traumatic experience—often burying memories of the past deep in their minds—the body does not forget trauma (van der Kolk, 2014). In other words, traumatic experiences leave a deep and permanent imprint not just on the mind but also the body (Wilson et al, 2023).…”

“…According to van der Kolk (2014), long after a person experiences a traumatic event, the amygdala, the brain’s “alarm system” that warns of imminent danger and prepares the body for fight or flight, may be reactivated by the slightest sense of threat. Consequently, when the threat response is constant—such as the case of repeatedly seeing images and videos of police killings of unarmed Black people—this can result in cumulative wear and tear on the body, or an increased allostatic load (Alang et al, 2020; Wilson et al, 2023; Korte et al, 2005). The insidious effects of chronic trauma exposure can also include hyperarousal of the body’s fight, flight, and freeze responses, dysregulated emotions, poor self-control, problems with thinking and meaning making, insecure attachments, and increased distrust in people and social institutions (e.g., law enforcement) (van der Kolk, 2014).…”

“…Nevertheless, they are expected to go about their daily lives as though these events do not affect them. However, recent population health studies found that chronic exposure to police killings of unarmed Blacks do in fact affect the mental health of other Black people not only at the individual and community-level (Wilson et al, 2023; Hawkins, 2021; Smith Lee & Robinson, 2019; Staggers-Hakim, 2016), but also the population-level (Bor et al, 2018). Emerging literature also suggests that police killings can be deeply distressing and even debilitating for Black people, resulting in additional physical health effects such as increased levels of stress, high blood pressure, biological damages to the brain, and race-related fatigue (Alang et al, 2020; Wilson et al, 2023; Bryant-Davis et al, 2017; Grills et al, 2016).…”

“…This, in turn, ignited protests, social movements, and national and international discourse on police reform (Aymer, 2016; McGregor, 2016). At the same time, some scholars have raised concerns about the psychological trauma and subsequent mental health concerns associated with repeated exposure to police violence resulting from these technological advancements, particularly for Black people and their communities (Alang et al, 2020; Wilson et al, 2023; Bryant-Davis et al, 2017).…”