Association of Self-Reported Depression and Anger with Law Enforcement Officers’ Physical Abuse of Black Men in 4 Georgia Counties, 2011

Abstract

IntroductionThe association between the behavioral affect of black men and law enforcement officers’ physical abuse of those men is not well-understood. This analysis measures the association between self-reported negative affect behavior (anger or depression) by the men and physical abuse by law enforcement officers, controlling for demographic and behavioral attributes. MethodsA single point-in-time cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2011 through random-digit telephone dialing among a sample of English-speaking black men aged 18-65 years in 4 Georgia (USA) counties. Associations among the outcomes, self-reported history of physical abuse by law enforcement officers, and the predictor variables of interest (self-reported anger or depression) was conducted through multivariable logistic regression. Other independent variables of interest measured were age; country of origin; parental country of origin; education; income; employment status; previous residency in a juvenile, jail, or prison facility; coping styles; and self-reported gender role and racism stress levels. ResultsOf the 633 survey participants who had interacted with law enforcement officers within the past 5 years, 129 (20.4%) reported physical abuse by law enforcement officers. Three factors had statistically significant, independent associations with reported law enforcement officer physical abuse: high levels of depression stratified by often or sometimes coping with stress through anger (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4-16.9), previous residency in a jail or prison (aOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.8-3.1), and higher levels of exposure to racism (aOR [high levels of racism] = 15.0; 95% CI: 6.7-33.7 and aOR [medium levels of racism] = 6.5; 95% CI: 3.4-12.3). ConclusionCohort studies are needed to determine if a black man's negative coping style, history of incarceration or exposure to racism is causally related to his history of physical abuse by a law enforcement officer.