Racial trauma and resilience in the aftermath of media exposure of fatal police violence toward Black Americans: Consequences and collective burden.

Abstract

Objectives: Media exposure to extreme police violence is an increasingly widespread problem that has negative consequences for the mental health of viewers. Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by police violence and its negative consequences, but little is understood from their own perspectives as media viewers.

Method: The present study uses a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to better understand Black American experiences of witnessing lethal police violence toward Black Americans via social media. Participants with exposure to at least one of four viral videos of fatal police encounters with Black Americans were recruited to participate in in-depth interviews.

Results: Key themes emerged related to negative emotional sequelae, including grief, anxious feelings, traumatization, hopelessness, and active efforts to draw on their resilience. Resilience was associated with racial/ethnic pride, sense of community, engagement in activism, and active coping.

Conclusions: Future research is needed to explicate the role of media violence in racial trauma for Black Americans, as well as the collective burden and complex costs this violence and its media accessibility have on society. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).