Date of Conferral

4-17-2024

Date of Award

April 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

William Benet

Abstract

African American males are more likely to be involved in a use-of-force encounter with police yet less likely than their non-Black counterparts to seek mental health services afterwards. Little is known about the perceptions this population has about the ease/difficulty they encounter when attempting to access care following the event. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of 11 African American males in north Saint Louis County, Missouri, about the facilitators of and/or barriers to accessing mental health care services after experiencing a use-of-force encounter with police. Participants were chosen using a purposeful sampling strategy. Data for the study were collected using a semistructured interview protocol. Benet’s polarities of democracy theory was used as the theoretical framework to examine and analyze the participant responses. Study findings strongly suggested that legislators in Missouri have opportunities to effect positive social change in the lives of their citizens through policy changes that include but are not limited to: expanding the state Medicaid program to provide coverage for more citizens, allocating additional funds to build mental health care facilities within underserved communities, and to pay for staff to run those facilities. Additional policy changes could provide for: an increase in access to reliable, public transportation, creation of civilian oversight review boards, and the creation/ dissemination of public health information programs. By implementing or revising current public policy programs in Missouri, legislators could help alleviate the oppression African American males in Saint Louis County are currently experiencing and create positive social change.

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