Police Stops Among At-Risk Youth: Repercussions for Mental Health

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the proximate mental health consequences of stressful and emotionally charged interactions with police officers among a national sample of at-risk youth who have been stopped by the police. Methods: A sample of 918 youth (average age 15 years) in the U.S. who reported being stopped by police in the most recent wave (2014-2017) of the Fragile Families & Child Wellbeing Study was used in the present study. Results: Although age at first stop was not associated with mental health outcomes, youth stopped by police more frequently were more likely to report heightened emotional distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Findings also indicate that being stopped at school and officer intrusiveness were potent predictors of these adverse emotional and mental health responses to the stop. Conclusions: Under certain circumstances, the police stop can result in feelings of stigma and trauma among at-risk youth. Youth may benefit when school counselors or social workers provide mental health screenings and offer counseling care after police encounters, particularly when such encounters are intrusive and/or occur at school. (C) 2019 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.