This study demonstrated and discussed the role that neighborhoods may play in reducing depressive symptoms in later life. Community organizers and policy makers are encouraged to ameliorate community environments to improve mental health among older adults in China.
The nature of engagement may play a more important role than the activity itself in relation to health. Identifying the heterogeneity in activity engagement in later life is critical for tailoring interventions and designing programs that can improve the health of older adults.
Black emerging adults ages 18–29, particularly those residing in predominantly black urban communities, are at risk for community violence exposure (CVE). This potentially traumatic event may induce traumatic stress reactions for black emerging adults that contribute to their engagement in violence perpetration, substance use and/or sexual risk-taking behaviors as a way to cope with their experiences. To address these identified concerns and make recommendations for future research, this article identifies and synthesizes results from studies that have examined CVE and its association with violence perpetration, substance use, and sexual risk-taking behaviors among black emerging adults. We use the term “black” throughout the article to refer to a socially constructed racial group or identity and recognize that this group, like all other racial groups in the United States, are ethnically heterogeneous. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that (1) included a measure of CVE (2) included a measure of violence perpetration, substance use, or sexual risk-taking behaviors, and (3) included primarily black emerging adults. Results showed CVE rates as high as 83% for black emerging adults. CVE was significantly associated with substance use, but findings on the association of CVE with violence perpetration and sexual risk-taking behaviors were mixed. Also, there was a lack of consistency in measures used to assess CVE, suggesting that future research should seek to identify “gold standard” measures and consider whether they have been examined with black emerging adults or similar populations and whether they capture the experiences of this unique population. Furthermore, studies investigating factors that might moderate and/or mediate the relationship between CVE, violence perpetration, substance use, and sexual risk-taking behaviors among black emerging adults are warranted.
The prevalence of community-based violence (CBV) exposure among black American male emerging adults ages 18 to 25 with a history of involvement with the criminal justice system is a major public health concern. Although exposure (whether as victim or witness) to CBV is linked with negative outcomes, empirical research examining black men’s negative emotional responses to seeing videos of real-life incidents of CBV on social media is scant. To address these identified concerns and make recommendations for future research, the present study examines the relationship between seeing videos of CBV on social media and three types of negative emotional responses (that is, feeling sad, angry, and fearful) prior to incarceration among a sample of 101 black men detained in a midwestern jail. Social media use and seeing videos of CBV on social media were moderately high for study participants. Seeing a video involving police violence was significantly associated with an increase in the odds of feeling sad, angry, and fearful. Social media research is an emerging area that has the potential to advance our understanding of the impact of seeing social media videos of police violence on the well-being of black men and factors that mediate or moderate this relationship.
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