Childhood Trauma and Neighborhood Disorder Affect Post-Injury Recovery Among Urban Black Men
A recent study published in the Journal of Urban Health by researchers at Penn Nursing highlights the significant impact that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and perceived neighborhood disorder have on the mental health of Black men who have sustained serious traumatic injuries in Philadelphia. The research underscores the critical role that social and environmental factors play in post-injury recovery.
According to lead author Therese Richmond, PhD, RN FAAN, the Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing at Penn Nursing’s Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, “This study highlights how profoundly social determinants of health affect individual well-being. Our findings suggest that addressing both childhood trauma and living in neighborhoods with high levels of perceived disorder is essential for improving mental health and overall recovery among Black men after injury.”
The study analyzed data from 414 Black men who required hospitalization due to acute physical injuries. Researchers evaluated the combined impact of ACEs and neighborhood characteristics, such as perceptions of disorder and objective measures of social and economic disadvantage, on various post-injury outcomes including PTSD, depression, sleep quality, and return to work.
The findings revealed that perceiving one’s neighborhood as disordered was a significant predictor of both PTSD and depression following injury. This indicates the importance of considering an individual’s history of trauma alongside their experiences in local environments and the social and economic factors contributing to those feelings during recovery.
Senior author Sara F. Jacoby, PhD, MPH, MSN, FAAN, also from Penn Nursing’s Department of Family and Community Health, stressed the need for interventions that address both ACEs and neighborhood conditions to improve post-injury outcomes among Black men. Potential strategies include preventing ACEs, improving neighborhood environments, and addressing recovery in areas where residents perceive high levels of disorder.
The research was funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (R49 CE003083) and the National Institutes of Health (R01NR013503). The study’s co-authors include Ryan Quinn and Augustine Cassis Obeng Boateng from Penn Nursing; Anna Duan from Penn’s Weitzman School of Design; Christopher Morrison, PhD, from Columbia University School of Public Health; and Nancy Kassam-Adams, PhD, from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
