Beyond Systems of Oppression: The Syndemic Affecting Black Youth in the US

Abstract

Adolescence is a challenging time fraught with developmental changes that influence sociocultural identity, psychosocial and biological development. Integrating a sense of ethnic identity into one’s personal identity is an important task for Black youth during this developmental stage as it impacts aspirations, ideology, and interpersonal identity. Black youth are not only navigating this critical stage but doing so while traversing issues related to a syndemic of injustice rooted in anti-Black racism that permeates the very fabric of our society. This manuscript describes the syndemic of injustice framework as it relates to the ways in which anti-Black racism contributes to experiences of structural, symbolic and interpersonal violence for Black youth and how these experiences of violent oppression ultimately influence the developmental processes involved in identity formation for Black youth. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

Conceptualizing adverse childhood experiences as a latent factor: Tests of measurement invariance across five racial and ethnic groups

“…This call to action is particularly important considering recent advances in developmental science highlighting the need to critically reflect on theoretical foundations and measurement approaches that ignore how systems of oppression can unduly shape risk for adversity (Bernard et al, 2021). As noted in prior research, culturally salient forms of adversity (e.g., exposure to racial discrimination, community violence) that stem from systems of inequity such as structural racism can hinder positive mental health development and identity formation among youth of color (Finigan-Carr & Sharpe, 2022;Zhen-Duan et al, 2023).…”