Anticipatory Stress of Police Violence and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among US Black Adults
A Sex-stratified Analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24239302 |
|---|---|
| Authors | K C Burke (0000-0001-8718-3740), Allison E Bond (0000-0001-7703-4805), Michael D Anestis (0000-0001-8738-8877), D C Semenza (0000-0002-3843-9559) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2196-8837 • E-ISSN: 2197-3792 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s40615-026-03227-0 |
| OpenAlex | W7223090043 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 68 |
Police violence is a well-documented contributor to racial disparities in health, with policing operating as a chronic stressor in Black communities. Emerging evidence links policing with suicide risk among Black adults. The present study builds on this work by examining associations between anticipatory stress of police violence and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB), and explores whether these associations differ by sex using data from a nationally representative survey of 3,015 self-identified US Black adults conducted in 2023. Survey-weighted regression analyses reveal that anticipatory stress of police violence is significantly associated with past-year (OR = 1.32) and lifetime (OR = 1.46) suicidal thoughts, after controlling for other risk factors, including anticipatory stress of interpersonal violence, lifetime gun violence exposure, and relevant demographic characteristics. Sex-stratified analyses show these associations are significant among women but not men, suggesting the importance of intersectional approaches that move beyond Black cisgender men’s experiences as the reference case of police harm.
Policing Practices and Perceptions · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
The Secrets of Silence
From Enforcers to Guardians
Pulled Over
The Three-Step Theory (3ST)
Risk of being killed by police use of force in the United States by age, race–ethnicity, and sex
Race and Worrying About Police Brutality
Ideation-to-action theories of suicide
Prevalence, demographic variation and psychological correlates of exposure to police victimisation in four US cities
The criminogenic and psychological effects of police stops on adolescent black and Latino boys
Examination of real-time fluctuations in suicidal ideation and its risk factors
The Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behavior
Police killings and their spillover effects on the mental health of black Americans
Association of Exposure to Police Violence With Prevalence of Mental Health Symptoms Among Urban Residents in the United States
Deaths Due to Use of Lethal Force by Law Enforcement
Structural racism theory, measurement, and methods
When Institutions Harm Those Who Depend on Them
Systemic Racism in Police Killings
Inequities in Anticipatory Stress of Police Brutality and Depressed Mood Among Women
The Brief Suicide Cognitions Scale
Perceived discrimination and health
Fatal Police Shootings of Victims with Mental Health Crises
Policing, Community Fragmentation, and Public Health
Collateral Damage
The effect of direct and vicarious police contact on the educational achievement of urban teens
Impact of Police Violence on Mental Health
Negative Police Encounters and Police Avoidance as Pathways to Depressive Symptoms Among US Black Men, 2015–2016
Behavioral Health Problems, Ex-Offender Reentry Policies, and the “Second Chance Act”
Characterizing Perceived Police Violence
Risk of Police-Involved Death by Race/Ethnicity and Place, United States, 2012–2018
Loving in the time of George Floyd
Cumulative Disadvantage
Self-Directed Violence Among Black Young Adults with Negative Police Experiences
Police, Politics and Participation
Why Is Discrimination Stressful? The Mediating Role of Cognitive Appraisal
Status Variation in Anticipatory Stressors and Their Associations with Depressive Symptoms
A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States
System avoidance and social isolation
Police killings and suicide among Black Americans
The Sociological Study of Stress
Police Encounters as Stressors
Making It Home
Is Racism a Fundamental Cause of Inequalities in Health
Race, Gender, and Police Violence in the Shadow of Controlling Images
Black Girls and the Talk? Policing, Parenting, and the Politics of Protection
The Mark of a Criminal Record
Anticipatory Violence and Health Among Black Adults in the United States
Police Brutality and Mistrust in Medical Institutions
| Highly cited | No |
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