“Pray that I live to see another day”: Religious and spiritual coping with vulnerability to violent injury, violent death, and homicide bereavement among young Black men

Abstract

Race-based structural inequities in the United States unequally burden Black boys, men, and families with managing life course vulnerability to violent injury, premature death, and homicide bereavement. Informed by sociocultural contexts of coping for Black homicide survivors and positive youth development research, we examined how religiosity and spirituality may function as developmental assets promoting pathways to safety and positive development for young Black men transitioning to adulthood in Baltimore. Qualitative interviews with 31 participants (ages 18–24) revealed that religiosity and spirituality: a) help young Black men process pain in the aftermath of homicide, construct meaning, and find hope, b) reduce fear of fatal victimization, c) protect against retaliatory violence and trauma recidivism, and, d) foster posttraumatic growth. Implications for research, policy, and practice to promote positive youth development are discussed.