Invisible Wounds: Exploring the Coping Strategies of Black Survivors of Homicide Victims in Canada.

Canada has experienced a steady increase in homicide. Specifically, out of the 10 provinces and 3 territories, Ontario has consistently experienced the highest number of homicides, the majority concentrated within predominantly African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Despite this disproportionate reality, there is limited research on the ways in which survivors of homicide victims cope with the murder of their loved ones.

Psychosocial aspects of coping that predict post-traumatic stress disorder for African American survivors of homicide victims.

African Americans disproportionately experience homicide, and the psychological consequence of experiencing this traumatic event interferes with daily function, often in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the Model of Coping for African American Survivors of Homicide Victims (MCAASHV), African Americans coping with the traumatic impact of homicide are influenced by: the violent nature of the death itself, racial- and cultural-bound experiences (e.g.

Development and validation of the Inventory of Stress and Coping for African American Survivors of Homicide Victims.

Objective: African Americans disproportionately experience homicide. However, validated measures designed to assess the traumatic impact of coping with murder for surviving family members and friends of homicide victims are absent from research. This article describes four studies that contributed to the development and preliminary validation of the Inventory of Stress and Coping for African American Survivors of Homicide Victims (ISCASHV).

Exploring research on the coping strategies of black survivors of homicide victims: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Black people are disproportionately impacted by homicide. However, despite this over-representation, research is limited relevant to how black individuals, families and communities cope with the chronic traumatic devastation of homicide. This scoping review will provide an amalgamation of the current literature regarding the coping strategies of black survivors of homicide victims to inform future health and social work practice.

The impact of exposure to gun violence fatality on mental health outcomes in four urban U.S. settings.

Rationale: Given the widespread availability of firearms, high prevalence of gun violence in the U.S., and the intersection of race, cumulative violence and adverse mental health outcomes, it is important to understand the mental health consequences of exposure to gun violence fatality on racially/ethnically diverse secondary victims.

The Development of a Culturally Adapted Pilot Intervention for African American Family Members of Homicide Victims: A Preliminary Report.

African Americans are disproportionately impacted by homicide in the United States. Individuals who have lost a relative to homicide often experience symptoms of complicated grief. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of a culturally tailored psychoeducational pilot intervention whose development was informed by a conceptual model of coping for African American survivors of homicide victims and was designed to (a) educate participants about the manifestation of complicated grief and symptoms and (b) help participants develop ways to cope with their grief.

Psychotic Experiences in the Context of Police Victimization: Data From the Survey of Police-Public Encounters.

Social defeat has been proposed as the common mechanism underlying several well-replicated risk factors for sub-threshold psychotic experiences (PEs) identified in epidemiological research. Victimization by the police may likewise be socially defeating among vulnerable individuals and, therefore, may be associated with elevated risk for PEs. However, no prior studies have examined the relation between police victimization and PEs.

Risk factors for recurrent violent injury among black men.

Background: Black men are disproportionately overrepresented among victims of repeat violent injury. However, little is known about the risk factors that influence violent trauma recidivism among black men. We hypothesize that the following risk factors would be significant among black male victims of repeat violent injury: disrespect; being under the influence; being in a fight and using a weapon in the past year; and previous incarceration when comparing trauma recidivists versus nonrecidivists.

Child welfare outcomes for youth in care as a result of parental death or parental incarceration.

Every day, in the United States, children are removed from their homes and placed into state supervised out-of-home care because of concerns around their safety. These children enter care as a result of child abuse, child neglect, abandonment or some other reasons. Lost in most discussions of out-of-home care is the role that parental incarceration and parental death have on the trajectory of children through the child welfare system.

Coping with grief responses among African American family members of homicide victims.

Research relevant to coping with grief for African American family members of homicide victims is limited. This retrospective study was conducted to determine the effects of gender, length of time since death, the traumatic impact of experiencing the homicide of a loved one, and the use of coping strategies to current grief reactions of African American family members of homicide victims (N = 44). Multiple regression analysis results suggest that gender and level of traumatic stress, related to posttraumatic stress symptomatology, predict current symptoms of grief.

Understanding the sociocultural context of coping for African American family members of homicide victims: a conceptual model.

The disproportionate representation of African American survivors of homicide victims places them at greater risk for compromised mental health. However, an examination of factors that influence how this population copes with this traumatic event is absent from the literature. This article elucidates the importance of sociocultural factors that influence coping resources and strategies for African Americans surviving the homicide of a loved one.

Social determinants of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases among black women: implications for health equity.

Recent epidemiologic reports show that black women are at risk for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In this report, we go beyond race and consider a number of social and economic trends that have changed the way many black women experience life. We discuss poverty, loss of status and support linked to declining marriage participation, and female-headed single-parent household structure-all of which influence sexual risks.

We fall down: the African American experience of coping with the homicide of a loved one.

Rates of homicide among African Americans are much higher than those of other racial or ethnic groups. Research has demonstrated that homicide can be psychologically debilitating for surviving family members. Yet, exploring the experiences of homicide victims’ surviving loved ones has received little attention.

Identifying the impact of social determinants of health on disease rates using correlation analysis of area-based summary information.

Objectives: We developed a statistical tool that brings together standard, accessible, and well-understood analytic approaches and uses area-based information and other publicly available data to identify social determinants of health (SDH) that significantly affect the morbidity of a specific disease.

Methods: We specified AIDS as the disease of interest and used data from the American Community Survey and the National HIV Surveillance System. Morbidity and socioeconomic variables in the two data systems were linked through geographic areas that can be identified in both systems.

Summary of CDC consultation to address social determinants of health for prevention of disparities in HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis. December 9-10, 2008.

In December 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a meeting of national public health partners to identify priorities for addressing social determinants of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB). The consultants were divided into four working groups: (1) public health policy, (2) data systems, (3) agency partnerships and prevention capacity building, and (4) prevention research and evaluation. Groups focused on identifying top priorities; describing activities, methods, and metrics to implement priorities; and identifying partnerships and resources required to implement priorities.

Risk of alcohol-exposed pregnancies among low-income, illicit drug-using women.

Objectives: Poor women of childbearing age who use crack, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin may be at risk for having an alcohol-exposed pregnancy because of concurrent alcohol use. Women who use illicit drugs may not know the harmful effects of fetal alcohol exposure. Fetal alcohol exposure is a leading cause of developmental disabilities and mental retardation.

An HIV/AIDS crisis among African American women: a summary for prevention and care in the 21st century.

The meeting, HIV/AIDS and African American Women: A Consultation Supporting CDC's Heightened National Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis among African Americans, provided a forum to address gaps in prevention and HIV/AIDS infection for African American women. Health researchers, community-based organization leaders, and representatives from both healthcare and non-healthcare sectors took this opportunity to discuss and develop a variety of priorities and suggestions for HIV/AIDS prevention. Four focus areas were provided for meeting attendees to promote discussion and strategy development.

The use of epidemiologic and other data in selecting behavioral HIV prevention interventions for African American women.

We describe a "research to practice" method by which public health policymakers and HIV prevention service providers can integrate the findings of national surveillance with other sources of public health data. We suggest developing a comprehensive risk profile, based on multiple sources of data, to inform the selection and implementation of evidence- based behavioral interventions (EBIs) for African-American women.

Pediatricians' knowledge, training, and experience in the care of children with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Objectives: Prenatal exposure to alcohol interferes with fetal development and is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to identify current knowledge, diagnosis, prevention, and intervention practices related to fetal alcohol syndrome and related conditions by members of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Methods: This study was developed collaboratively by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Report from the CDC. Physician and allied health professionals' training and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Maternal prenatal alcohol use is one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities. On the severe end of the spectrum of conditions related to drinking during pregnancy is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Physicians and other health practitioners play a critical role in diagnosing FAS and in screening women of childbearing age for alcohol use during pregnancy.

Crack cocaine use and adherence to antiretroviral treatment among HIV-infected black women.

Since the appearance of crack cocaine in the 1980s, unprecedented numbers of women have become addicted. A disproportionate number of female crack users are Black and poor. We analyzed interview data of HIV-infected women > or = 18 years of age reported to 12 health departments between July 1997 and December 2000 to ascertain if Black women reported crack use more than other HIV-infected women and to examine the relationship between crack use and antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence among Black women.