Trauma and Black Youth

Trauma and Black Youth Name Institution Course Code and Title Instructor Date Trauma and Black Youth Introduction Trauma is a phenomenon that most of the black youth experience due to factors such as low-income families. Trauma has left a lasting impact on their lives, affecting their ability to socialize, lowering their academic performance, and affecting their mental well-being. Black youths have responded to traumatic events in their lives inappropriately by engaging in risky behaviors such as crime and substance abuse. Trauma in black youths, therefore, is a critical topic that requires in-depth research to guide the development of effective policies for intervention (Pumariega et al., 2022). The population of minority groups has been increasing, and so has the number of children and youth from black community backgrounds.  Reportedly, there is an increasing number of cases of black youths and children suffering from depression, anxiety, substance use, suicide, and post-traumatic stress. The conditions have been associated with childhood trauma that is still prevalent among a majority of black community members. In this paper, we shall look at trauma by understanding it first; then, we shall look at factors that cause trauma and its impact on black youths. Additionally, the paper will address methods that are effective in addressing the issue and analyze the coping mechanisms and effective interventions that have been established so far. Also, we shall look at case studies that examine interventions for resolving trauma in black youth and find gaps for future directions.  What is Trauma? Trauma is a distressing situation that individuals find challenging to deal with when experiencing it. Trauma can result from the emergence of an incident of a happening that has been recurring for a period. The magnitude of a traumatic incidence differs among individuals and can be experienced at any age. The experience can originate from instances such as violence or victimization such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, loss, domestic violence, or a disaster such as terrorism (Henderson et al., 2019). The affected individuals tend to express helplessness and intense fear with overwhelming stress that hinders their ability to cope with the situation.  Trauma can be categorized as either emotional or physical. Emotional trauma can be acute, whereby an individual responds emotionally after a distressing happening, or chronic, if the response follows a series of distressing events for an extended period, such as a year. Physical trauma, on the other hand, is portrayed when a person causes serious bodily harm to themselves. Children and youth from minority backgrounds in the USA, such as blacks, have reported an increase in traumatic experiences (Pumariega et al., 2022). The experiences have been associated with historical and generational trauma, such as immigration, discriminatory experiences, natural and artificial disasters, family violence, and community violence.  The psychological effects that result from traumatic experiences can be short-term or long-term. The expenses impact the affected individual's mental, emotional, and physical health. Mental health challenges are anxiety, depression, and challenges when concentrating. In the long term, the effects can develop into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), chronic anxiety and depression, or complex trauma symptoms such as dissociation if untreated. Black youth experience emotional health issues such as low self-esteem, withdrawal from social interactions, and emotional distress such as guilt and fear. Lastly, physical health deteriorates due to lack of enough sleep, engaging in risky behaviors such as substance abuse, and psychosomatic symptoms like muscle tension and headaches.  Causes of Trauma in Black Youths Various factors of systemic issues and historical and social-economical dimensions cause trauma in black youth. Black youth have inherited generational trauma originating from historical slavery distressing their families. The inheritance of these traumas can be expressed in various forms, such as parenthood, caregiving practices, and modeling. The Jim Crow era is well-known for the segregation of the black community that institutionalized racism, violence, discrimination, and oppression, leaving a significant impact on the black youth (Galán et al., 2022). The civil rights movements further subjected the youth to trauma through police brutality and systemic discrimination.             Due to economic disparities in black youth families, there have been indifferences in housing, quality health and education, and food security that have been attributed to trauma. Besides, black communities are known to express violence within their neighborhoods, which traumatizes black youths who witness it. Other social issues such as dysfunctional families such as single parenthood, parents engaged in substance abuse, and maltreatment have significantly increased trauma incidences. Black youth suffering from trauma have been stigmatized, causing them to avoid seeking help. Despite the available mental health resources and services, the youths with trauma-related symptoms have failed to address them. Structural inequalities have allowed racial discrimination to exacerbate as racial profiling, stereotyping, and implicit bias continue to impact the mental well-being of black youth. Black youths have developed a cultural mistrust due to the history of being exploited for medical researches, which create insecurities about seeking help (Galán et al., 2022). Additionally, structural barriers create limited access to affordable health services due to insufficient insurance coverage and inadequate culturally responsive providers. The black community has also been disrupted by gentrification and displacement that alters urban development, causing instabilities that aggravate trauma among black youths.   Coping and Resilient Strategies Black youth have shown resilience when it comes to coping with traumatic events, which has proven to work. A resilient framework is developed to enable persons suffering from trauma to adapt positively by interacting with psychological, biological, cultural, and social factors. The coping mechanisms can be defined by either the positive outcome even after a traumatic exposure, ensuring a traumatic incident does not re-occur, or guaranteeing a traumatic situation never occurs (Cory et al., 2020). Some of the protective factors that have enabled black youth to develop resilience towards trauma are; 1 Strong social and family support is built from good relationships and role models within the family. Black youths have received help and support from their family members, caregivers, and peers that promote emotional and social well-being by making them feel secure and connected. The presence of grown-ups who can offer a different perspective and coping methods offers additional emotional support. 2 The ability to access education and resources such as quality healthcare enhances resilience. An education system with a culturally sensitive curriculum and academic support systems has been shown to impact positive child development (Cory et al., 2020). Black youths take advantage of community resources such as youth organizations and mental health services promoting self-expression.  3 Favorable school environments that are considerate of the socio-emotional learning and trauma-informed strategies within the curriculum and other school activities. The beliefs of ...