TY - JOUR
T1 - Police Encounters as Stressors
T2 - Associations with Depression and Anxiety across Race
AU - Alang, Sirry
AU - McAlpine, Donna
AU - McClain, Malcolm
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2021/3/9
Y1 - 2021/3/9
N2 - Stress researchers have emphasized the relationship between social stress and mental health. However, research investigating police brutality as a stressor is scarce. The authors conceptualize police brutality as a stressor, examining racial variation in its effects on mental health. Data came from the Survey of the Health of Urban Residents in the United States (n = 4,389). Negative encounters with the police were found to be associated with depressed mood and anxiety. The relationship between encounters with the police and depressed mood was stronger among Black respondents and Latinxs compared with Whites. Regardless of personal encounters with the police, the anticipatory stress of police brutality—concern that one might become a victim of police brutality—was associated with depression and anxiety. These findings highlight police brutality as an anticipatory stressor and have implications for whiteness as a resource that protects from the stress of negative police encounters.
AB - Stress researchers have emphasized the relationship between social stress and mental health. However, research investigating police brutality as a stressor is scarce. The authors conceptualize police brutality as a stressor, examining racial variation in its effects on mental health. Data came from the Survey of the Health of Urban Residents in the United States (n = 4,389). Negative encounters with the police were found to be associated with depressed mood and anxiety. The relationship between encounters with the police and depressed mood was stronger among Black respondents and Latinxs compared with Whites. Regardless of personal encounters with the police, the anticipatory stress of police brutality—concern that one might become a victim of police brutality—was associated with depression and anxiety. These findings highlight police brutality as an anticipatory stressor and have implications for whiteness as a resource that protects from the stress of negative police encounters.
KW - anticipatory stressors
KW - mental health
KW - police brutality
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U2 - 10.1177/2378023121998128
DO - 10.1177/2378023121998128
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85102306792
VL - 7
JO - Socius
JF - Socius
SN - 2378-0231
ER -