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Waller BY, Joseph VA, Keyes KM. Racial inequities in homicide rates and homicide methods among Black and White women aged 25-44 years in the USA, 1999-2020: a cross-sectional time series study. Lancet 2024; 403:935-945. [PMID: 38342127 PMCID: PMC11018094 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(23)02279-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the USA, Black women aged 25-44 years are disproportionately murdered compared with their White counterparts. Despite ongoing efforts to reduce racial and structural inequities, the result of these efforts remains unclear, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS This study examined a cross-sectional time series of homicide death rates, by race, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research system. We included data for women aged 25-44 years between 1999 and 2020 among 30 states in the USA. Homicide death was classified using underlying cause and multiple cause of death codes; mortality rates were calculated per 100 000 based on US Census Bureau population sizes. Homicide methods were classified as firearm, cutting or piercing, and other. Firearm homicides were compared with other homicides with logistic regression including covariates of race, time, and their interaction. We report odds ratios and 95% CIs. FINDINGS In 2020, the homicide rate among Black women was 11·6 per 100 000, compared with 3 per 100 000 among White women. This inequity has persisted over time and is virtually unchanged since 1999. Homicide inequities vary across US states; in 11 states, racial inequities have increased since 1999. The racial inequity was greatest in Wisconsin, where in 2019-20, Black women aged 25-44 years were 20 times more likely to die by homicide than White women. Homicide by firearm is increasing in frequency; women in the USA had 2·44 (95% CI 2·14-2·78) times the odds of homicide involving firearms in 2019-20 compared with 1999-2003. Firearm homicide deaths are disproportionately concentrated among Black women in every region in the USA. INTERPRETATION Our findings suggest that there is an urgent need to address homicide inequities among Black and White women in the USA. Enacting federal legislation that reduces gun access is a crucial step. Policy makers must address long-standing structural factors that underpin elevated gun violence by implementing sustainable wealth-building opportunities; developing desegregated, mixed income and affordable housing; and increasing green spaces in communities where Black women largely reside. FUNDING National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadine Y Waller
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Victoria A Joseph
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine M Keyes
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
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Waller BY, Giusto A, Tepper M, Legros NC, Sweetland AC, Taffy A, Wainberg ML. Should We Trust You? Strategies to Improve Access to Mental Healthcare to BIPOC Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Community Ment Health J 2024; 60:82-86. [PMID: 37133709 PMCID: PMC10155669 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-023-01124-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities have weathered centuries of racism, causing transgenerational mental health consequences and hindering access to quality treatment. In this commentary, we describe the systemic challenges of engaging BIPOC to promote mental health equity during the COVID-19 pandemic. We then describe an initiative that illustrates these strategies, provide recommendations and further readings for academic institutions seeking to partner with community organizations to provide equitable mental health services to populations that have been traditionally overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadine Y. Waller
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Ali Giusto
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Miriam Tepper
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Naomi C. Legros
- Division of Environmental Pediatrics, NYU Langone Health, 403 E. 34Th Street, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Annika C. Sweetland
- Department of Psychiatry and Public Health, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons/New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Amanda Taffy
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Milton L. Wainberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
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Waller BY, Giusto A, Tepper M, Legros NC, Sweetland AC, Taffy A, Wainberg ML. Correction: Should We Trust You? Strategies to Improve Access to Mental Healthcare to BIPOC Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Community Ment Health J 2024; 60:87. [PMID: 37249798 PMCID: PMC10227396 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-023-01144-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bernadine Y. Waller
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Ali Giusto
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Miriam Tepper
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Naomi C. Legros
- Division of Environmental Pediatrics, NYU Langone Health, 403 E. 34Th Street, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Annika C. Sweetland
- Department of Psychiatry and Public Health, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons/New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Amanda Taffy
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Milton L. Wainberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
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Waller BY, Lee SJ, Legros NC, Ombayo BK, Mootz JJ, Green MC, Hankerson SH, Williams SN, Williams JE, Wainberg ML. Interventions Targeting Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in United States Black Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review. Trauma Violence Abuse 2023:15248380231206113. [PMID: 37937723 DOI: 10.1177/15248380231206113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
There is a dearth of evidence indicating the effectiveness of psychological interventions targeting depression and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for Black women in the United States (US) exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EBSCOhost, Social Sciences, Social Sciences Full Text, Social Work Abstracts, and Cochrane databases between September 2021 and October 2022, for original studies of randomized control trials (RCTs) reporting depression and/or PTSD interventions delivered to US Black women with histories of IPV. Of the 1,276 articles, 46 were eligible and 8 RCTs were ultimately included in the review; interventions for depression (four interventions, n = 1,518) and PTSD (four interventions, n = 477). Among Depression and PTSD interventions (one intervention, n = 208), Beck's Depression Inventory II indicated M = 35.2, SD = 12.6 versus M = 29.5, SD = 13.1, <.01, and Davidson Trauma Scale indicated M = 79.4, SD = 31.5 versus M = 72.1, SD = 33.5, <.01, at pre- and post-intervention respectively. Also, some interventions reported severity of depression M = 13.9 (SD = 5.4) versus M = 7.9 (SD = 5.7) < 0.01, and PTSD (M = 8.08 vs. M = 14.13, F(1,117) = 9.93, p < .01) at pre- and post-intervention respectively. Publication bias was moderate and varied between 12 and 17 via the Downs and Black Checklist for Methodological Rigor for RCTs. Psychological interventions targeting depression and/or PTSD for Black women with histories of IPV reflect moderate improvement. Interventions that account for cultural nuances specific to Black women are fundamental for improving outcomes for survivors presenting with depression and/or PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadine Y Waller
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Seung Ju Lee
- Adelphi University School of Social Work, Garden City, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Jennifer J Mootz
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - M Claire Green
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Milton L Wainberg
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
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Waller BY, Bent-Goodley TB. "I Have to Fight to Get Out": African American Women Intimate Partner Violence Survivors' Construction of Agency. J Interpers Violence 2023; 38:4166-4188. [PMID: 35876177 PMCID: PMC9852021 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221113008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
African American women survivors of intimate partner violence are disproportionately murdered and help-seeking is a critical variable to examine as it relates to it. There is an urgent need to develop culturally salient interventions that center African American women's ways of knowing. An initial step to doing so is identifying how they employ their sense of individual agency during help-seeking. This paper reflects findings from a study designed to do just that. We conducted 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women who self-identified as African American. Constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed. Constructed agency emerged from the data. This nascent theory explicates four phases of African American women survivors' help-seeking: resistance, persistence, rejection, and resignation. Constructed agency provides practitioners and researchers with a theoretical model to examine African American women's nuanced help-seeking efforts when seeking informal supports and interventions from formal providers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadine Y. Waller
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA
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Waller BY, Joyce PA, Quinn CR, Hassan Shaari AA, Boyd DT. "I Am the One That Needs Help": The Theory of Help-Seeking Behavior for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. J Interpers Violence 2023; 38:NP288-NP310. [PMID: 35350920 PMCID: PMC9519802 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221084340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
African American women survivors of intimate partner violence disproportionately experience homicide due, in part, to the racism and racial discrimination they experience during their help-seeking process. Yet, existing scholarship neglects to examine how this multiply-marginalized population of women navigate sociocultural barriers to obtain crisis services and supports from the domestic violence service provision system. Fundamental to developing culturally-salient interventions is more fully understanding their help-seeking behavior. We conducted 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women who self-identified as African American. Constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed. Sensitizing concepts from the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Intersectionality theories, along with Agency framework were conceptually bound. The Theory of Help-Seeking Behavior emerged from the data. This nascent theory provides practitioners and researchers with a theoretical model to examine African American women's nuanced help-seeking efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadine Y Waller
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 27424New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Patricia A Joyce
- School of Social Work, 333251Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA
| | - Camille R Quinn
- College of Social Work, 2647The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Azahah Abu Hassan Shaari
- Language Studies and Human Development, 172218Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Malaysia
| | - Donte T Boyd
- College of Social Work, 2647The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Waller BY, Maleku A, Quinn CR, Barman-Adhikari A, Sprague Martinez LS, Traube D, Bellamy JL. Just Research: Advancing Antiracist and Antioppressive Social Work Research. J Soc Social Work Res 2022; 13:637-644. [PMID: 38009095 PMCID: PMC10673617 DOI: 10.1086/722974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
The Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) created its Research Capacity and Development Committee in 2017 to build research capacity across the careers of social work scholars. The committee has initiated multiple conferences and webinar sessions that have increasingly focused on antiracist and antioppressive (ARAO) research, including "Mentorship for Antiracist and Inclusive Research" and "Strategies for Supporting Antiracist Pedagogy & Scholarship: Reimagining Institutional Systems & Structures." This commentary integrates themes from these sessions and other discussions among committee members about strategies to advance ARAO research. Although SSWR board members reviewed and approved this submission, it is not an official statement of SSWR or its board of directors.
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Waller BY, Harris J, Quinn CR. Caught in the Crossroad: An Intersectional Examination of African American Women Intimate Partner Violence Survivors' Help Seeking. Trauma Violence Abuse 2022; 23:1235-1248. [PMID: 33596772 PMCID: PMC8371068 DOI: 10.1177/1524838021991303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES African American women are disproportionately impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV)-related homicide. They reflect the second highest prevalence rates and experience the highest rates of murder resulting from IPV victimization. Although most survivors note that they have experienced rejection and anticipatory stigma as barriers to their help seeking, African American women additionally experience racism and racial discrimination as obstacles that may further preclude their help seeking. This systematic review highlights African American women's experiences of rejection from providers and the effects that it may have upon their ability to secure urgent aid. METHOD A dearth of literature examines the subtle ways that African American women survivors experience rejection resulting from the interlocking nature of race, class, and gender oppression. Fundamental to developing more culturally salient interventions is more fully understanding their help-seeking experiences. A systematic review was conducted to provide a critical examination of the literature to understand the intersections of IPV and help-seeking behavior among African American women. A total of 85 empirical studies were identified and 21 were included in the systematic review. The review illuminates both the formal and semiformal help-seeking pathways. RESULTS We recommend integrating anti-Blackness racist praxis, incorporating African American women's ways of knowing and centralizing their needs in an effort to improve the health and well-being of this population. CONCLUSIONS Eliminating barriers to more immediately accessing the domestic violence service provision system is key to enhance social work practice, policy, and research with African American female survivors of IPV.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jalana Harris
- Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA
| | - Camille R. Quinn
- College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Hankerson SH, Moise N, Wilson D, Waller BY, Arnold KT, Duarte C, Lugo-Candelas C, Weissman MM, Wainberg M, Yehuda R, Shim R. The Intergenerational Impact of Structural Racism and Cumulative Trauma on Depression. Am J Psychiatry 2022; 179:434-440. [PMID: 35599541 PMCID: PMC9373857 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21101000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Depression among individuals who have been racially and ethnically minoritized in the United States can be vastly different from that of non-Hispanic White Americans. For example, African American adults who have depression rate their symptoms as more severe, have a longer course of illness, and experience more depression-associated disability. The purpose of this review was to conceptualize how structural racism and cumulative trauma can be fundamental drivers of the intergenerational transmission of depression. The authors propose that understanding risk factors for depression, particularly its intergenerational reach, requires accounting for structural racism. In light of the profoundly different experiences of African Americans who experience depression (i.e., a more persistent course of illness and greater disability), it is critical to examine whether an emerging explanation for some of these differences is the intergenerational transmission of this disorder due to structural racism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidney H. Hankerson
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Population Health Sciences & Policy, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029
| | - Nathalie Moise
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Department of Medicine, 622 West 168 Street, PH 9, New York, NY 10032
| | - Diane Wilson
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York; Department of Medicine Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York; City University of New York
| | - Bernadine Y. Waller
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032
| | - Kimberly T. Arnold
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania Center for Public Health Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Andrew Mutch Building, Floor 6, 51 N. 39th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Cristiane Duarte
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032
| | - Claudia Lugo-Candelas
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032
| | - Myrna M Weissman
- Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive Unit 24, New York, New York 10032
| | - Milton Wainberg
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032
| | - Rachel Yehuda
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Psychiatry, The Bronx James J. Peters VA Medical Center, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY 10029
| | - Ruth Shim
- University of California at Davis, Department of Psychiatry
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