Police Brutality and Black Health: Setting the Agenda for Public Health Scholars

“…Our findings on Black New Yorkers are consistent with previous research indicating that police contacts may be harmful to the physical and mental health of Black individuals throughout the US [ 26 , 34 , 35 , 37 – 39 ]. A systematic literature review identified, across studies, a nearly twofold higher prevalence of poor mental health among Black Americans who report any prior police interaction compared to those who did not [ 34 ].…”

“…These findings indicate that when presented with neutral stimuli, Black adolescents who experienced police contact exhibited greater activation in the amygdala subregion that is recruited for remaining vigilant ( Whalen and Phelps 2009 , Davis et al 2010 ). These findings are consistent with existing work documenting that Black adults exposed to police violence demonstrated heightened vigilance and poorer health outcomes ( Alang et al 2017 , Smith et al 2019 ). We did not find evidence that police contact was significantly linked with activation in the CM amygdala subregion, which is involved in driving physiological responses to immediate threat ( Whalen and Phelps 2009 , Davis et al 2010 ).…”

“…Results also underscore previous research that has demonstrated clear associations between negative experiences with police and greater physical and mental health problems [ 1 ]. Further, effects of concerns about personal safety and safety of one's loved ones due to police brutality are underexamined but this study showed they are meaningful experiences to include in future research on policing, health, and activism.…”

“…Our findings on Black New Yorkers are consistent with previous research indicating that police contacts may be harmful to the physical and mental health of Black individuals throughout the US [ 26 , 34 , 35 , 37 – 39 ]. A systematic literature review identified, across studies, a nearly twofold higher prevalence of poor mental health among Black Americans who report any prior police interaction compared to those who did not [ 34 ].…”

“…These findings indicate that when presented with neutral stimuli, Black adolescents who experienced police contact exhibited greater activation in the amygdala subregion that is recruited for remaining vigilant ( Whalen and Phelps 2009 , Davis et al 2010 ). These findings are consistent with existing work documenting that Black adults exposed to police violence demonstrated heightened vigilance and poorer health outcomes ( Alang et al 2017 , Smith et al 2019 ). We did not find evidence that police contact was significantly linked with activation in the CM amygdala subregion, which is involved in driving physiological responses to immediate threat ( Whalen and Phelps 2009 , Davis et al 2010 ).…”

“…Results also underscore previous research that has demonstrated clear associations between negative experiences with police and greater physical and mental health problems [ 1 ]. Further, effects of concerns about personal safety and safety of one's loved ones due to police brutality are underexamined but this study showed they are meaningful experiences to include in future research on policing, health, and activism.…”

“…Our findings on Black New Yorkers are consistent with previous research indicating that police contacts may be harmful to the physical and mental health of Black individuals throughout the US [ 26 , 34 , 35 , 37 – 39 ]. A systematic literature review identified, across studies, a nearly twofold higher prevalence of poor mental health among Black Americans who report any prior police interaction compared to those who did not [ 34 ].…”

“…These findings indicate that when presented with neutral stimuli, Black adolescents who experienced police contact exhibited greater activation in the amygdala subregion that is recruited for remaining vigilant ( Whalen and Phelps 2009 , Davis et al 2010 ). These findings are consistent with existing work documenting that Black adults exposed to police violence demonstrated heightened vigilance and poorer health outcomes ( Alang et al 2017 , Smith et al 2019 ). We did not find evidence that police contact was significantly linked with activation in the CM amygdala subregion, which is involved in driving physiological responses to immediate threat ( Whalen and Phelps 2009 , Davis et al 2010 ).…”

“…Results also underscore previous research that has demonstrated clear associations between negative experiences with police and greater physical and mental health problems [ 1 ]. Further, effects of concerns about personal safety and safety of one's loved ones due to police brutality are underexamined but this study showed they are meaningful experiences to include in future research on policing, health, and activism.…”