Submission Date

7-20-2018

Document Type

Paper

Department

Psychology

Faculty Mentor

Kneia DaCosta

Comments

Presented during the 20th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 20, 2018 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

This analysis looks into the effects of sexual and physical abuse on the social outcomes and behavior of black children into adulthood. Incorporating current research findings on the effects of abuse on childhood development, an autobiographical analysis is conducted through the lens of critical theory to see the direct impact abuse has on an individual’s behavior and their social outcomes. Specifically this analysis will investigate the factors of socio-economic background, race, culture, community response to admitting abuse, access to therapeutic resources, externalized behavior, internalized behavior, and adulthood outcomes for African American abuse victims. This research contributes to the sparse literature on the effects of abuse for African Americans. More research is needed on these unspoken experiences of Black children, given that abuse appears to contribute to problematic outcomes like high suicide rates in youth and criminality in adulthood.

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