“It's About Survival”: Resilience Strategies Among Justice-Involved Black Men Exposed to Violence and Trauma

Abstract

This study draws on interviews with 20 low-income Black men to understand how they enact and maintain resilience over the course of their lives. Guided by Payne’s (2011) sites of resilience theoretical framework, this study offers a more comprehensive understanding as to how Black men maintain resilience while experiencing ongoing exposure to violence and trauma. In the absence of external resources, some men rested on their cultural assets provided by religion; while in response to structural violence, other Black men enacted resilience through gang membership, crime, and interpersonal violence. Additionally, we provide a nuanced discussion as to how participants engage in multiple resiliency strategies, that in some cases may appear contradictory. Black men engaged in these behaviors with the hopes of preserving their safety—both physically and psychologically, in a society that has never been interested in keeping them safe.

Plain Language Summary Title

Resilience and how Black men respond to traumatic experiences over their lives

Plain Language Summary

Why was this study done? Although there research that examines how people endure trauma, little is understood as to how Black men cope with trauma. What did the researchers do? The researchers conducted twenty interviews with Black men across the United States who experienced gun violence to understand how they respond to trauma over their life course. What did the researchers find? Black men respond to adversity in many ways. Most of the men relied on religion, while others engaged in violence, drug dealing, or joined a gang. However, some men relied on multiple competing strategies, such as religion and drug dealing. What do the findings mean? This study identified multiple resilience strategies that Black men utilize to endure adversity. Future research should take into consideration how culture and the social environment shapes how people respond to trauma.