A Scoping Review on Therapeutic Interventions to Address Racial Trauma Healing Among Black Youth: Implications for Working with Justice System-Involved Black Youth

Background and Purpose: Despite declining overall rates of juvenile incarceration within the U.S., minoritized youth overrepresent the total number of incarcerated youths. In fact, in 2019, Black youth represented 40% of all youth detained. Racial and structural inequities, including racism and discrimination, exacerbate black youths’ exposure to environmental and race-related stressors; for example, school policies and practices linked to the school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon. In addition, black youth living in urban areas are at higher risk for exposure to childhood victimization, resulting in over 80% of youth in juvenile detention reporting at least one traumatic event. Therefore, strategies and therapeutic interventions to address racial trauma may mitigate related trauma symptomology among black youth. This review aims to identify empirical evidence on using interventions to address racial trauma among black youth and explore implications for working with justice system-involved black youth.

Methods: Researchers used the five steps defined by Arksey and O’Malley, including Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) to assess the rigor of research design, sample characteristics, sampling methods, transparency, and reporting quality. This review identified current studies through electronic databases, including Cochrane Reviews, Campbell Systematic Reviews, Academic Search Complete, SocINDEX, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, PubMed, and Social Science Citation Index. Inclusion criteria were (1) studies on interventions to address racial trauma and/or race-based traumatic stress; (2) English language articles; and (3) published articles in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2023.

Results: The search yielded 1070 articles, 396 duplications, and 674 were excluded based on title and abstract review. Researchers conducted a full-text review of 60 articles. A final set of 13 articles with 3 quantitative studies, 8 qualitative studies, and 2 mixed methods were included in this scoping review.

Results indicate that parent-centered interventions may reduce racialized stress and moderate adverse outcomes, including conduct disorder, substance use, and mental health concerns, particularly anxiety and depression symptoms. However, the effectiveness of parent-centered interventions may depend on parents' racial socialization competency, which means their ability to effectively give the "talk" on what it means to be black in America, including developing youths' cultural history and pride. Coping strategies to address racial trauma included using online engagement, informal and formal identity-affirming spaces in predominantly white learning institutions, therapeutic practices to explore youths’ understanding of microaggression to combat negative stereotypes, and cultivating critical consciousness (e.g., critical reflection, critical agency, and critical action).

Conclusions and Implications: This scoping review highlights the importance of therapeutic approaches for micro and mezzo-healing changes, including expressive-emotionally healing, spiritual-forgiving healing, and communicative-relational healing. Strategies to address racial trauma healing among black youth include parental and mentorship involvement and online youth engagement. In addition, therapeutic and coping strategies have significant implications for working with black youth in juvenile-justice system settings to address racial trauma and reduce negative impacts on racialized disparities within the juvenile justice system.