The Toll of (Racial) Trauma: The Phenomenological Experience of Black Male Emerging Adults in the United States
The experience of racial trauma among Black men in the United States has contributed to the dramatic increase of depression and anxiety each year among Black male youth and it is this demographic, more than any other, who are least likely to seek help (Rice, Purcell, McGorry, 2018). Prolonged exposure to life stressors all produce emotional difficulties and medical consequences that can last a lifetime (Felitti, Anda et al., 2019). This presentation examines the phenomenological experience of Black male emerging adults in the United States and the factors that have influenced their lived experience. I present a qualitative study explores themes of psychological safety, racial trauma and profiling, family kinship, stress, mental health, and future orientation among a sample of college-age Black men who participated in a 10-week virtual peer-led support group. Implications for youth-driven mental health promotion and preventive interventions to support young men of color are discussed.
Nadia L. Ward, M.Ed., Ph.D., LP is the Executive Director of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise, and Professor of Practice at the Hiatt Center for Urban Education & Adam Institute for Urban Teaching & School Practice, at Clark University. Prior to her joining the Clark community, Dr. Ward came from Yale University, where she served as Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and the Deputy Director of Clinical Training in Clinical and Community Psychology, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; the Director of Urban Education & Prevention Research, and Senior Evaluation Consultant with YaleEVAL at the Consultation Center at Yale.
Dr. Ward’s extensive work in the area of academic achievement for minority students has spanned more than 25 years. Dr. Ward’s experience includes training and consultation to universities, public school systems and private organizations; curriculum development; program development; implementation; and community-engaged research and evaluation.
She has worked extensively with high-risk as well as high achieving urban youth and their families in a variety of capacities. She has designed and evaluated social-emotional learning, substance abuse prevention programs, academic enrichment, and violence prevention programs in school and community settings.
Additionally, Dr. Ward is a leader in comprehensive urban school reform efforts where she engages schools and communities in the development, implementation and evaluation of systemic interventions designed to improve school climate, academic performance and educational trajectories of low-income and minority youth. Her scholarly activities have been supported by a diverse portfolio of local, state and federal funding.
In her current role as Executive Director of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise, she is committed to developing and scaling digital health technologies to support the behavioral health needs of adolescents and young adults. @MIPEyouth