Police Contact, Sleep, and Mental Health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Racialized disparities exist in police presence within schools and communities.
• Adolescent experiences with law enforcement can impact mental well-being.
• Understanding these impacts is crucial for adolescent health equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between police contact and mental health outcomes in middle adolescence.
• To investigate how race and gender moderate the effects of police contact on sleep, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (n=3928).
• Employed regression analyses, adjusting for potential selection factors.
• Focused on middle adolescents (mean age=14.09 years).

Main Results:

• Black children, especially boys, reported more frequent positive and negative police contact.
• Negative police interactions were associated with increased sleep disturbances and internalizing symptoms in White boys, Black girls, and Hispanic youth.
• No significant association was found for White girls or Black boys, suggesting differential lived experiences.

Conclusions:

• Negative police contact disproportionately affects the mental health of specific adolescent demographic groups.
• Findings highlight the need to consider race, gender, and lived experiences in understanding police-community interactions.
• Further research is warranted to explore these complex relationships and inform targeted interventions.