Date of Conferral

3-8-2024

Date of Award

March 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Patricia Loun

Abstract

Police discrimination among Black Americans has been an ongoing trend for many years. Researchers have linked police discrimination to a traumatic experience that may result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In addition, researchers found that PTSD symptoms may impact the family relationship negatively. This quantitative study examined whether PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between experiences of police discrimination and family relationships. The family system theory and the critical race theory guided this study. The family system theory described how one family member affects the whole family unit. The critical race theory described the systems that are in place that operate in systemic racism. The McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) measured family relationships. The PTSD Checklist Civilian Version (PLC-C) measured PTSD symptoms. The Police and Law Enforcement Scale (PLE) measured experiences of police discrimination. There were 49 Black American participants who reported having experienced police encounters. A multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to determine the mediating role of PTSD symptoms on the relationship between police discrimination and family relationships. The MLR revealed that the PCL-C mediated the relationship between the PLE and FAD scores, indicating that individuals who reported higher police discrimination who also reported higher PTSD symptoms and reported more family dysfunction. However, individuals who reported higher police discrimination but did not report high PTSD symptoms and did not report family dysfunction. This study can be used for positive social change to train police officers on the effect of their interactions with civilians and reduce police discrimination.

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