Pathways to Recurrent Trauma Among Young Black Men: Traumatic Stress, Substance Use, and the "Code of the Street"
John A. Rich, MD, MPH and
Courtney M. Grey, BS
John A. Rich is with the Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, and the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston, Mass. Courtney M. Grey is with the Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to John A. Rich, MD, MPH, 1010 Massachusetts Ave, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02118 (email: jrich{at}bu.edu).
Recurrent interpersonal violence is a major cause of death anddisability among young Black men. Quantitative studies haveuncovered factors associated with reinjury, but little is knownabout how these factors work together.
We interviewed young Black male victims to understand theirexperience of violence. Qualitative analysis of their narrativesrevealed how their struggle to reestablish safety shaped theirresponse to injury. Aspects of the "code of the street" (includingthe need for respect) and lack of faith in the police combinedwith traumatic stress and substance use to accentuate theirsense of vulnerability. Victims then reacted to protect themselvesin ways that could increase their risk of reinjury.
We describe a model with implications for reducing rates ofrecurrent violent injuries.
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