The way Black men see themselves after a firearm injury – whether as a survivor or victim – could change over time and have implications on their mental health, according to a Rutgers Health study. The study, published in the Journal of Urban Health, examined the role of racially coded language, sociodemographic and environmental contexts that support labels among Black men who experienced a firearm injury. Rutgers researchers sought to understand how Black men in a hospital-based violence intervention program perceive “survivor” and “victim” labels after experiencing a firearm-related injury.
“The self-identification as a ‘survivor’ versus ‘victim’ following violent injury may have salient implications for the mental health of Black men,” said Nazsa Baker, a postdoctoral fellow with the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center (GVRC). “Internalizing a victim identity could exacerbate trauma reactions, negative cognitions about self-worth and powerlessness, feelings of helplessness and other symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.” To read the full story.