Date

4-25-2023

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Richard Stratton

Keywords

police violence, excessive force, police killings, police brutality, negative police interaction

Disciplines

Counseling | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

In recent years research has revealed that there is incommensurate treatment toward Black men at the hands of law enforcement, but there is minimal research that is dedicated to displaying if there is a connection between these interactions and depression in Black men. This study sought to find out if there is a correlation between experiential, first-person, and vicarious witnessing of negative police interactions and depression in Black men. The study involved a non-probability purposeful sampling of 50 Black men from various geographical locations who met the following prerequisites: Black males between 21-55, natural-born American citizens, no previous incarcerations, and no endorsed mental health diagnosis. The respondents were sent an electronic survey that tested their amount of police interaction and their symptoms of depression. After collecting and analyzing the data using multiple regression, it was determined that there was no significant effect on the depression symptoms of Black men when interacting with all three types of antecedents. The respondents did not broach the scale for clinical depression even after significant exposure to experiential, first-person, and media-imposed stimuli.

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