Exploring community violence, anxiety and substance use among Black adults

The impact of community violence on Black individuals, remains a concern. Despite statistics showing the disproportionate rates of violence among Black individuals, there is a gap in understanding its effects on Black adults. This current study examined how the perception of community violence influences anxiety levels among Black adults. It is suggested that heightened anxiety, stemming from exposure to violence, contributes to maladaptive coping, such as substance use, as individuals attempt to alleviate distress. Among a sample of 202 black adults, we found that higher exposure to community violence (ECV) had a relationship with increased substance use (SU) and anxiety. Similarly, it was discovered that individuals with higher anxiety had higher substance use scores. Although, anxiety did not moderate the relationship between SU and ECV. Further, perceptions of violence in the community related to harm and challenge were associated with higher anxiety levels. Limitations, future directions, and implications are discussed.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Year dc:date.available

2026

Author dc:creator

• Rawls, Berri

Contributors dc:contributor

• Walker, Ruth V.
• Dierenfeldt, Rick; Arnold, Tomorrow D.
• College of Arts and Sciences

• African American neighborhoods--Violence against--Psychological aspects
• Anxiety--Etiology
• Black people--Mental health
• Substance abuse--Etiology

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1012

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2192