Personal Safety Think Tank
An individual’s personal safety relies deeply on the absence of fear or actual threat of physical, psychological, or emotional harm from others or self. The personal safety think tank is dedicated to monitoring and working to reduce interpersonal (i.e., homicide) and self-directed (i.e., suicide) violence that threatens the personal safety of emerging adults.
Goal: To provide evidence-based scientific knowledge that informs the development of culturally relevant practices and policies focused on ensuring the personal safety of emerging adults.
SUMMARY: Community violence exposure (CVE) and its health impact is a public health crisis. Violent crime has steadily increased over recent years and has disproportionately affected Black communities. Emerging adulthood (18–29 years old) is a vulnerable period of development and Black emerging adults may be at increased risk for negative physical and mental health consequences from CVE. This integrative review was conducted to evaluate the available evidence on health outcomes in Black emerging adults exposed to CVE. This review appraised published studies (2012–2022) addressing physical and mental health outcomes of Black emerging adults with CVE.
CITATION: Walker, D. T., Bills, K. L., & Motley, R. O. (2023). Physical and Mental Health Outcomes of Black Emerging Adults with Community Violence Exposure: An Integrative Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231194055
SUMMARY: There is limited research about suicidal behaviors among Black emerging adults (peak age of suicide risk) who report exposure to police violence. The current study applies an integrated approach to examine individual, immediate environment, and community-based risk and protective factors of suicide among Black college students who reported previous exposure to police violence.
CITATION: Szlyk, H., Motley, R., Joe, S., Nonas-Barnes, L., & Azasu, E. (2023). An Examination of Suicidal Behavior among Black College Students with Exposure to Police Violence. Social Work, 68(1), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swac046
SUMMARY: Suicidality (thinking about, planning, and attempting) has become a national, growing public health concern for Black emerging adult college students in America due to increased rates among this population. The goal of the current cross-sectional study is to examine the mediating role of police contact anxiety (PCA) and moderating role of grit in the relationship between exposure to videos of police use of force in media and suicidality.
CITATION: Motley, R., Simmons, E., Azasu, E., Clifton, M., Walker, D. T., & Carnayla Johnson. (2022). Utilizing a Mediation-Moderation Model to Examine Exposure to Videos of Police use of Force in Media, Police Contact Anxiety, Grit, and Suicidality among Black Emerging Adult College Students. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1086/722584
SUMMARY: The present report, A 21st Century Look at Threats to the Personal Safety of Emerging Adults in Massachusetts, provides current estimates of homicide, suicide, police use of fatal and non-fatal force, and emergency department visits and hospitalizations for emerging adults in Massachusetts to shed light on factors that pose the greatest threat to their personal safety by gender, ethnicity, and location.
CITATION: Motley, R. O., Jr., Siddiqi, R., Acharya, A. Williamson, E., Walker, D.T., & Bills, K. (2022, May). A 21st Century Look at Threats to the Personal Safety of Emerging Adults in Massachusetts (Racism-based Violence Injury & Prevention Lab Research Brief No. 1). Boston, MA: Boston College, Racism-Based Violence Injury & Prevention Lab https://doi.org/10.6017/ssw.rbvipl.rb001.kq8472
SUMMARY: Exposure to police violence is a public health concern for Black emerging adults ages 18-29 given its prevalence and association with negative health outcomes. However, research examining the role of police legitimacy in the relationship between exposure to police use-of-force and personal safety interventions is scant. This study investigated the mediating role of perceived police legitimacy in the relationship between exposure to police use-of-force and personal safety interventions (reliance on police, self, or others) in a sample of Black emerging adults.
CITATION: Motley, R. O., Jr., & Joe, S. (2021). Exposure to Police use-of-force, Perceived Police Legitimacy, and Personal Safety Interventions Among Black Emerging Adult College Students. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1086/717586
Suicide Awareness Walk, May 20, 2023 in Hyannis at Veteran's Beach Park
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Addressing Homicide Violence Among Black Emerging Adults
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