Policing With A Double-Edged Sword: The Associations Between Neighborhood Deprivation, Coping & Substance Use Among Black & Latiné Families
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated systemic racial inequities among Black and Latiné communities, increasing daily stressors such as exposure to violence, racial discrimination, and negative perceptions of the police. Social constraints from quarantining and social distancing have weakened community relationships that previously provided relief from these stressors. Persistent poverty and racial discrimination further strain community ties and challenge the well-being of marginalized communities. Negative experiences with the police are unique stressors for Black and Latiné youth, potentially increasing their risk for substance use. The erosion of community ties may heighten psychological stress and lead to less adaptive coping methods, such as the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other illicit drugs (ATOD). This mixed-method study, conducted virtually in the Bronx, NY, quantitatively analyzed youth (N = 34) and caregiver (N = 30) groups separately to examine how four neighborhood-level indicators of racial inequity—negative perceptions of the police, community and police violence, sense of community cohesion, and racial discrimination—related to stress and substance use. We hypothesized that sense of community cohesion would be negatively associated with stress and 30-day substance use frequency while the other three indicators would be positively related to stress and substance use among Black and Latiné youth and caregivers during the pandemic. Additionally, using Photovoice interviews, we qualitatively explored how youth and caregivers coped with these stressors, expecting to find adaptive coping strategies involving social and community support. Quantitative analysis using bivariate correlation revealed that among caregivers, stress was significantly positively correlated with negative perceptions of police and significantly negatively correlated with sense of community cohesion. Among youth, a significant negative relationship was found between sense of community cohesion and negative perceptions of police. Substance use prevalence was low among all participants. Qualitative interviews highlighted that both youth and caregivers used social interactions and meaningful activities as crucial coping strategies, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. Despite the exacerbation of neighborhood-level racial inequities, Black and Latiné families employed healthy coping strategies to deal with these adversities. These adaptive behaviors should be integrated into mental health interventions aimed at reducing stress and substance use among youth and families in these communities. By integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods, this study provided a deeper, context-specific understanding of how coping behaviors and neighborhood-level racial inequity relate to stress, coping strategies, and substance use in youth-caregiver groups.
Neighborhood deprivation, substance use, racial inequity, police presence, coping mechanisms, COVID-19, Clinical Psychology
City University of New York - City College
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