Study Finds "The Talk" Reduces Stress About Potential Police Brutality Among Baltimore’s Black Youth
Black youth who were advised by caregivers on how to conduct themselves during police stops experienced significantly lower levels of anticipatory stress about possible police brutality – whether towards oneself (direct) or loved ones such as family or friends (vicarious).
A new study published online December 12 in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics highlights the impact of "the talk" — conversations between Black caregivers and their children about police encounters — on reducing anticipatory stress about police brutality. The research team, led by Lindsey Webb, PhD, assistant research professor and Dylan Jackson, PhD, associate professor, analyzed data from Black youth in Baltimore.
Researchers used data from the Survey of Police-Adolescent Contact Experiences (SPACE). The SPACE survey was developed by Jackson and Rebecca Fix, PhD, assistant professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health. The survey was developed in collaboration with the Youth Advisory Board of the Bloomberg School’s Center for Adolescent Health to incorporate the perspectives of Black youth. Sample data from 339 Black youth, aged 12–21, was collected between August 2022 and July 2023. Surveys were conducted electronically. Participants were asked to rate their anticipatory stress (or worry about) police brutality, as well as questions detailing their experience with “the talk” (“Have your parents/guardians talked to you about how you should act around police?”).
The survey analysis revealed participants who received “the talk” reported significantly lower levels of severe anticipatory stress about direct police brutality (28.6%) compared to those who did not (53.1%). Researchers also found that the specific content of these conversations mattered: messages emphasizing compliance and staying quiet were linked to lower anticipatory stress, while other instructions, such as using a phone to record officers’ behavior, sometimes heightened anticipatory stress. This research suggests that these conversations and similar racial socialization practices can protect young people from negative mental health outcomes associated with adverse interactions with law enforcement.
Joseph L. Wright, MD, chief health equity officer of the American Pediatrics Association, authored a commentary that accompanied the paper, encouraging pediatricians and health professionals to formally incorporate racial socialization tools like ‘the talk’ into guidance and reference publications.
“Our study demonstrates the positive impact of ‘the talk’. However, it also points to how important it is to dig deeper into what these conversations entail and the bigger context surrounding them,” says Jackson.
Webb added, “This research highlights how crucial it is for Black youth to have adults in their lives they can turn to - at home, in school, or in their broader community - that are willing to talk about racism and create spaces for young people to process their anxiety and trauma.”
