"Keep it moving": The Traumatic Impact of Gun Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men.

Abstract

This study considers the experiences of young Black men who have been impacted by traumatic gun violence either directly through being shot or by witnessing gun violence. This study was completed to increase knowledge and awareness on the traumatic impacts of gun violence in the lives of young Black men, with the long-term purpose to use the knowledge to help build trauma informed programs young Black men who are survivors of gun violence. This study used a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach to conduct qualitative interviews with ten young Black men growing up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada who have been impacted by traumatic gun violence. The findings in this paper show how young Black men are impacted and cope with the experiences of gun violence in five ways: Isolation, Hypervigilance, Substance Use, Normalization, and Resilience. The discussion section outlines these findings, addressing how young Black men draw upon learned resiliency and "keep it moving" to manage the traumatic impacts. The implications section asserts the need for further qualitative research on young Black men's experiences of gun violence to find out what young Black men need to cope with traumatic gun violence. The conclusion states the need for further research and understanding on young Black men's experiences of gun violence. It encourages the need for accessible trauma informed spaces for young Black men to talk and process their emotions and experiences of gun violence as a profound step towards healing.