The structural violence of white supremacy: Addressing root causes to prevent youth violence
Section snippets
Background
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 (
Evidence from Louisville, KY
The University of Louisville Youth Violence Prevention Research Center (YVPRC) is one of five centers nationally funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to partner with communities to implement and evaluate community- and systems-level interventions. Ideology heavily influences the outer layers of social ecology and is reinforced by collective narratives held by society. Narratives influence how people interpret and navigate their physical and social environments. In many
Ethical statement
All data collection for the research described was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Louisville (protocol 15.0910).
Acknowledgments
The research described in this manuscript was funded through the Youth Violence Prevention Centers program by Cooperative Agreement CE002711 with the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views are expressly those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC nor the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
References (18)
- et al.
Gender differences in structural and behavioral determinants of health: An analysis of the social production of health
Social Science & Medicine
(1999) Conceptualizing violence for health and medical geography
Social Science & Medicine
(2015)- et al.
Adverse childhood experiences, mental health, and excessive alcohol use: Examination of race/ethnicity and sex differences
Child Abuse & Neglect
(2017) - et al.
Adolescence and the social determinants of health
Lancet
(2012) - et al.
Hopelessness and delinquent behavior as predictors of community violence exposure in ethnic minority male adolescent offenders
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
(2019) - et al.
Preventing youth violence: Opportunities for action
(2014) - et al.
What works in youth violence prevention: A review of the literature
Research on Social Work Practice
(2013) On suffering and structural violence: A view from below
Daedalus
(1996)- et al.
An anthropology of structural violence
Current Anthropology
(2004)
Cited by (9)
Striving for Equity in Community Mental Health: Opportunities and Challenges for Integrating Care for BIPOC Youth
2022, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North AmericaCitation Excerpt :Internalized racism refers to conscious and unconscious acceptance of white supremacist principles.2,12,14 All levels of racism detrimentally impact BIPOC youth, worsening mental health outcomes.9,14–16 “When we think of the present mental health narrative, it wasn’t one that I could relate to because it doesn’t actively include the demographic, cultural, orcommunity-centeredlanguage that connects with me as a young Latinx mental health organizer who has been impacted by incarceration, childhood trauma, community violence, and so many other challenges.
Re-examining the literature on social media and gangs: Critical race theory as a path for new opportunities
2024, The Oxford Handbook of Gangs and SocietyViolence Toward and by Youth: Part I: Looking for the “Whys”
2023, NASN School NursesAnti-Racist Violence Prevention: Partnering With Black Youth to Identify Intervention Priorities
2023, Health Promotion PracticePerceptions of girls and young women on the role of gender and social media conflict implicated in violence
2023, Journal of Youth Studies