The Role of "The Talk" and Its Themes in Black Youths' Anticipatory Stress of Police Brutality.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Research on conversations between caregivers and their children about how to prepare or conduct themselves when stopped by police (ie, "the talk") has grown in recent years. However, little is known about how having "the talk" may influence youths' stress about future experiences of police brutality (ie, anticipatory stress of police brutality). The objective of the present study is to examine how youths' anticipatory stress regarding police brutality varies by whether they have had "the talk" with their caregivers.

Methods: Data come from the Survey of Police-Adolescent Contact Experiences (SPACE), a cross-sectional survey of a community-based sample of Black youth aged 12 to 21 years in Baltimore, Maryland (n = 339), collected from August 2022 to July 2023. Multivariable ordinary least squares regressions were conducted to (1) examine associations between "the talk" and anticipatory stress of police brutality among a sample of Black youth in Baltimore and (2) examine the associations between messages in "the talk" and anticipatory stress of police brutality among youth who received "the talk."

Results: Findings indicate that having "the talk" was associated with lower anticipatory stress of police brutality. Moreover, among youth who received "the talk," certain messages from parents during "the talk" were associated with significant increases in anticipatory stress of police brutality compared with other messages.

Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for a nuanced understanding of "the talk's" broader implications on youth well-being and may be used to expand opportunities for youth to encounter affirmative racial socialization messages.