Summary: A new NYU study indicates that racial inequality and police violence may substantially increase the risk of psychotic experiences among low-income young adults of color. While individual-level causes such as trauma, bullying, or substance use are well known, this research highlights the vital influence of structural oppression and systemic racism on early psychosis risk.
Researchers found that respondents who reported police violence had 52% higher odds of experiencing delusions or hallucinations in the past year, and young adults from racially marginalized groups showed a 60% greater overall risk compared with white peers. The findings point to the possibility that reducing exposure to systemic racism and community-level harms could be as important for mental health as traditional clinical interventions.
Key facts
- Structural stressors matter: Racial inequality and police violence are associated with higher rates of psychotic experiences among marginalized youth.
- Increased risk by race: Black, Latino, multiracial, and Indigenous young adults had about 60% greater odds of reporting a psychotic episode in the prior year versus white respondents.
- Police violence impact: Reporting at least one experience of police violence in the past year was linked to a 52% increase in reported delusions or hallucinations.
The paper, titled “Social Defeat and Psychosis in the United States,” appears in Schizophrenia Bulletin and is authored by Jordan DeVylder (NYU Silver), Jacqueline Cosse, and Brianna Amos, with collaborative input from other social work scholars. The research analyzed data from the National Survey of Poly-Victimization and Mental Health, focusing on a sample of 1,584 U.S. participants aged 18–29.
Using that national dataset, the investigators examined both individual-level factors (for example, childhood abuse, bullying, and high-frequency substance use) and structural indicators such as race/ethnicity and recent experiences of police violence. Consistent with prior research rooted in the social defeat hypothesis, the study reconfirmed associations between individual trauma exposures and psychotic experiences. Importantly, it also found that structural and systemic factors—especially racial marginalization and contact with police violence—meaningfully raise the odds of psychotic symptoms in young adulthood.
Specifically, BIPOC participants had 60% higher odds of reporting psychotic experiences (PEs) in the previous year (odds ratio 1.60), and those with at least one police violence experience had 52% higher odds of PEs (odds ratio 1.52). Other factors associated with increased odds of PEs included frequent substance use, everyday discrimination, and prior exposure to childhood abuse or bullying.
The social defeat hypothesis, developed in Northern Europe and used for decades by clinicians and researchers, suggests that repeated social exclusion, humiliation, or marginalization can produce long-term neurobiological changes—particularly in stress and dopamine systems—that increase vulnerability to losing touch with reality. This study extends that framework by demonstrating that systemic and structural sources of defeat, such as racial inequality and policing practices, should be considered alongside individual experiences.
Jordan DeVylder and colleagues emphasize that structural contributors may exert a substantial influence on psychosis risk and could help explain ethno-racial disparities observed in the United States. In practical terms, the authors argue that public health interventions aimed at reducing exposure to systemic racism and community-level violence may yield mental health benefits comparable to those achieved by individual-focused therapies.
About this psychosis and neurodevelopment research news
Author: Robert Polner
Source: NYU
Contact: Robert Polner – NYU
Image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access. “Social Defeat and Psychosis in the United States” by Jordan DeVylder et al., Schizophrenia Bulletin.
Abstract (condensed)
Background and hypothesis: The social defeat hypothesis proposes that exclusion and discrimination experienced by marginalized groups increase the likelihood of psychotic experiences. While prior work has emphasized individual-level factors, U.S. contexts of pronounced structural racism and economic inequality suggest a need to examine systemic influences on psychosis risk.
Design: Cross-sectional analysis of the National Survey of Poly-Victimization and Mental Health (N = 1,584) assessed associations between individual indicators (substance use, bullying, childhood abuse) and structural indicators (racial marginalization, police violence) and self-reported psychotic experiences among young adults.
Results: Participants identifying as Black, Latino, multiracial, or Indigenous had 60% higher odds of reporting psychotic experiences in the prior year compared with white participants. Reporting one or more experiences of police violence in the past year was associated with 52% higher odds of psychotic experiences. Additional risk factors included frequent substance use, everyday discrimination, and prior abuse or bullying.
Conclusions: The findings align with European social defeat literature and confirm the hypothesis’ relevance in the U.S. Importantly, the prominence of structural drivers—racial inequality and police violence—supports broadening the social defeat model to include systemic influences and underscores the importance of societal-level interventions to reduce psychosis risk among marginalized young adults.