Understanding the Experiences of African American Family Members Coping with the Homicide of a Loved One

Purpose: Homicide violence in the United States has become endemic in our communities. The United States murder rate was 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2004 (Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2005), totaling 16,148 people murdered annually. In 2004, the rate of homicide for African Americans was 41.4 per 100,000 people; over 2 times that of Hispanics (13.8) and American Indian/Alaskan Natives (14.0), over 6 times that of Whites (5.5), and over 8 times that of Asians/Pacific Islander (5.0) (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006). Given that 37 million African Americans reside in the United States, approximately 15,321 African Americans are murdered annually (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006). In other words, more than 68% of individuals murdered in the United States are African American. The number of surviving family members, friends, and co-workers who must learn how to cope with the murder of their loved one is unknown. Ahmed and Feldman (1999) suggest that, on average, each homicide victim has three surviving family members. Based on this estimate, roughly 45,963 African Americans are indirectly affected by homicide each year. Although African Americans are disproportionately represented among homicide survivor populations, the exploration of their experience has received little attention.

Method: This mixed method study was designed to examine the contextual factors that contribute to coping differences among African American family members who are surviving the homicide of a loved one. A sample of 44 African Americans who have experienced the murder of a loved one within the past 10 years (1996-2006), participated in this study. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase I, a self-report questionnaire consisting of the Africultural Coping Scale Inventory (ACSI), Impact of Events Scale (IES), and Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG), was administered to participants to assess primary and differential coping determinants. In Phase II, 8 participants from the larger sample were interviewed to: (1) better understand the coping strategies of African American homicide survivors, (2) explore participant views, and (3) further elucidate quantitative findings.

Results: An analysis of the quantitative findings suggests that the primary strategies used to cope with the homicide of a loved one encompassed a reliance on spiritual resources. Descriptive information obtained from qualitative data suggests that historical and contemporary experiences brought about by living in a racialized society and becoming a homicide survivor influences the coping strategies used by African American survivors of homicide. The coping strategies used by survivors in this sample were :(a) spiritual coping/meaning making, (b) maintaining a connection to the deceased, (c) collective coping and caring for others, and (d) concealment.

Conclusions and Implications: This study provides a seminal foundation for a trajectory of research that can aid in the development and implementation of further homicide survivor studies. Findings offer a detailed picture of the sociocultural factors that contribute to the utilization of coping strategies used by African American homicide survivors and provide information relevant to the culturally appropriate design and implementation of homicide survivor services.