Primary Submission Category: Health equity
Marked by the Stop: How Disability and Internalizing Symptoms Shape Adolescent Stigma and Trauma Post-Police Contact?
Authors: Maya Lakshman, Isabella Castillo, Harolyn Belcher, Rebecca Fix,
Presenting Author: Maya Lakshman*
Police encounters are a critical public health problem, often associated with mental health sequelae and anticipated and experienced stigma. Youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are especially vulnerable to structural violence, including that by police, yet how youth with IDD experience stigma remains understudied. This study used public-use data from Waves 4, 5, and 6 of the Future of Families and Child Well-Being Study. Whether or not youth had an IDD was obtained from parent/caregiver questionnaires in Waves 4 and 5. Stigma following police encounters was obtained via youth survey responses in Wave 6. We ran OLS regression models to assess whether the effect of police encounters (being stopped, experiencing intrusion like derogatory language or violence, or being arrested) on stigma differs based on disability status (accounting for other forms of disability), controlling for demographic variables, internalizing mental health symptoms, and post-traumatic stress following police encounters. Our study sample included 765 young people. Findings indicate that youth with IDD report significantly less stigma after being stopped (β=-0.219, p<0.01), experiencing intrusive interactions (β=-0.057, p<0.05), or being arrested (β = -0.196, p<0.05) compared to their peers without IDD. Furthermore, youth with IDD report significantly less anticipated stigma after being stopped (β =-1.293, p<0.05) or arrested (β =-1.604, p<0.05), and less experienced stigma after being stopped (β =-0.881, p<0.01) or experiencing intrusive interactions (β =-0.267, p<0.05). Results suggest youth with IDD may perceive or process police encounters differently due to limited education on the criminal justice system, differences in social awareness, or a desire to fit in with their peers. Findings can inform public health equity interventions, including the need for tailored educational programs for youth with IDD and broader disability-inclusive policy reforms.