Community Needs and Recommendations for Multilevel Mental Health Interventions Among Young Black Men with Previous Trauma Exposure

Objective: To report on multilevel strategies for addressing community mental health disparities among young Black/African American men, who are at increased risk for trauma exposure yet have a lower likelihood of receiving mental health care compared to other young adults.

Method: This was a secondary data analysis from a larger mixed-methods study that was conducted in two phases, using an exploratory sequential design. Participants in Phase 1 were 55 Black men aged 18-30 years old (M = 22.55, SD = 3.9), who had experienced one or more lifetime traumatic events. Relevant for the present study, participants completed focus groups that elicited community needs and recommended strategies for promoting community mental health. The social-ecological model (including individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy levels) was used to guide interpretation of these qualitative findings.

Results: Focus groups recommended intervention strategies from individual/interpersonal levels (e.g., educational resources, fostering social support) to organizational and community approaches (e.g., resource fairs; tools for schools, churches, and broader community settings) and policy changes (e.g., increased funding to improve access).

Conclusions: Qualitative findings have potential to provide the foundation for culturally relevant interventions to improve access to mental health care and engagement in services. It is imperative that researchers partner with communities to address these disparities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).