









































GSR Journal
 

Georgetown Scientific Research Journal

Volume 1 | Edition 2
July 31, 2021

Danya Adams
         ISSN 2767-6420   



Danya Adams
  
      �



The Burn Behind the Bullet: 
Understanding Black Mothers’ 

Experiences After Losing a Child 
to Gun Violence in Washington, 
DC-Baltimore City Metropolitan 

Region
Denzell Brown

Volume Two 
Edition One 
July 2021 

 
GEORGETOWN SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH JOURNAL

Volume One 
Edition Two
Spring 2021

 
GEORGETOWN SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH JOURNAL

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
	

 

The	Burn	Behind	the	Bullet:	Understanding	Black	
Mothers’	Experiences	After	Losing	a	Child	to	Gun	Violence	
in	Washington,	DC-Baltimore	City	Metropolitan	Region		
	
Denzell Brown 
 
Department of Psychology and African American Studies, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.  
E-mail: dob15@georgetown.edu 
https://doi.org/10.48091/gsr.v1i2.20   

Abstract 

The purpose of this research article is to examine how complicated grief, post-traumatic stress, and 
depressive symptoms induced from losing a child to gun violence affect traits of resilience and post-
traumatic growth among a sample of Black mothers living in Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland. 
This research project was executed by surveying 4 Black mothers who lost a child to gun violence 
(B.M.C.G.V.) that resided in the Baltimore-Washington area to assess grief, traumatic stress, and 
depression. Participants also completed an oral interview that focused on resilience, post-traumatic 
growth, and policy recommendations. Findings associated with post-traumatic stress indicated that all 
Black mothers in this study reported it was somewhat true that they avoid things that remind them of 
their loved ones (n= 4, 100%), and 3 out of 4 of the mothers felt cut off or distant from other people since 
their loved one died (n= 3, 75%).  Outcomes related to complicated grief revealed that all mothers in this 
study reported that they felt a great deal of loneliness since their child had died (n= 4, 100%). Moreover, 
3 out 4 B.M.C.G.V. reported that memories of their child made them upset in the last past 7 days (n= 3, 
75%). Results aligning with post-traumatic growth displayed that all Black mothers in this study reported 
it was mostly true that they learned they were stronger than they originally thought they were after losing 
a child to gun violence (n=4, 100%). Additionally, 3 out of 4 Black mothers in this study stated that it is 
mostly true that they developed a strong religious faith upon losing a child to gun violence (n= 3, 75%). 
Furthermore, 3 out of 4 Black mothers in this study reported that they found a stronger sense of purpose 
in life upon losing a child to gun violence (n = 3, 75%).  Findings related to depressive symptomatology 
contained a large amount of variation and did not produce any significant results. The data results from 
the oral interview indicated that 9 common characteristics emerged from Black mothers who lost a child 
to gun violence in this study which included Black mothers explaining their character traits as Loving, 
Committed, and Strong. Subsequently, Black mothers classified their coping strategies as Active Coping 
(Embracing Self-love, Forgiveness, and Faith in God) and Avoidant Coping (Denial, Betrayal, and Not 
Coping). Lastly, Black mothers’ policy recommendations in this study focused on themes such as 
Demanding resources and Laws on gun violence prevention.  

Keywords: complicated grief, post-traumatic growth, gun violence

 

 
 

 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

1. Introduction 
 Throughout the United States of America, a 
disproportionate number of Black youths become 
homicide victims of gun violence annually, and 
every year Black mothers nationally have to deal 
with the psychological consequences of the death 
of their own child. To date, much of the research 
on gun violence in predominantly Black 
communities tend to focus on African American 
male-identified youth. Yet, there is a large amount 
of literature that indicates B.M.C.G.V. experiences 
compounding levels of trauma, complicated grief, 
and depression. For instance, Black mothers 
experience various incarnations and manifestations 
of racism and sexism.1 Given that Black mothers' 
experiences with gun violence are impacted by 
racial-gendered stereotypes, African American 
mothers are also consequently labeled as being 
“strong Black women.” The discourse of being 
“strong” tends to normalize distress inducing levels 
of selflessness and powerlessness among African-
American mothers.2 Therefore, Black mothers face 
the multiplying effects of racism and sexism while 
simultaneously experiencing forms of complicated 
maternal grief that emerge from losing a child to 
gun violence. Maternal grief is considered to be the 
most persistent and profound grief.3 In the process 
of Black mothers navigating maternal grief, 
African American mothers may also feel a sense of 
injustice associated with their child’s death, as well 
as experience symptoms of complicated grief due 
to multiple past and present traumas.4 As shown, 
prior research suggests that Black mothers who 
lose children to gun violence experience post-
traumatic stress, complicated grief, and depressive 
symptomatology.  
 On a spectrum, Blacks mothers encounter 
multi-layered levels of psychological stress that 
derive from losing a child to both civilian and 
police gun violence. Considering that a large 
number of Black mothers lose children to police 
gun violence, African American mothers of color 
also often feel betrayed by law enforcement and the 
criminal justice system.4 Furthermore, African 
American mothers are also often traumatized daily 
by the sudden loss of their loved ones and re-

traumatized by the news of another murder in the 
country.4 As a protective barrier to cope with the 
complicated grief that absolves from losing a child 
to gun violence, Black mothers appear to 
demonstrate a sense of resilience in childbearing 
after the loss.4 Black mothers tend to embody 
resilience by relying on solidarity and collective 
survival through community mothering practices 
that have been characterized as Black ‘activist 
mothering’.5 The practice of Black ‘activist 
mothering’ allows for African American mothers 
who lost a child to gun violence to manage their 
experiences with complicated grief by having a 
public space to share grief and conceptualize 
healing.5 In cases where Black mothers pursue a 
journey of healing, some Black mothers embrace 
post-traumatic growth as a method to augment the 
traumatic stress associated with losing a child to 
gun violence. As referenced in a recent mixed-
methods study on Black low-income mothers who 
survived Hurricane Katrina, catastrophic losses in 
some cases create spaces for post-traumatic growth 
for survivors.6 Therefore, the goal of this research 
paper will be situated on illustrating B.M.C.G.V. 
coping mechanisms, healing methods, and post-
traumatic growth qualities. 

1.1 Depressive Symptomatology 
 Depressive symptomatology can be expressed 
through a range of different emotions including 
constant feelings of sadness, emptiness, 
restlessness, guilt, and social isolation.7 According 
to King-Hannays et al 2013, Black mothers' 
bereavement experiences upon losing a child to 
gun violence often impact this population's ability 
to maintain social relationships. The results of this 
study revealed that there was an association 
between Black mothers whose children were 
homicide victims and mothers who experienced 
altered relationships within their family-friend 
networks (directly correlated with feelings of 
isolation and sadness).8 The psychological distress 
that Black mothers who have lost a child to gun 
violence endure can be characterized by intrusive 
thoughts about the deceased, a subjective sense of 
numbness, detachment or absence of emotional 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

responsiveness, searching for the deceased, and 
loneliness as a result of the death.4 

1.2 Post-Traumatic Stress 
 Post-traumatic stress can be characterized by 
the avoidance of thoughts and activities associated 
with traumatic events and can result in a constant 
state of hypervigilance.9  The experience of losing 
a child to gun violence is a traumatic event that can 
result in a variety of distressful emotions such as 
meaningless and devastation which can lead to 
debilitating traumatic stress.10 Research on post-
traumatic stress identifies the death of a child as 
the most severe stress encounter for parents.11 
Specifically for Black mothers who lost a child to 
gun violence, death-related traumas were an 
ongoing source of fear and pain.4 The ongoing fear 
and pain that Black mothers experience are related 
to grief and rumination about the causes and 
consequences of the loss.12 

1.3 Complicated Grief 
 Complicated grief may include symptoms like 
severe pangs of emotions, denial of implications of 
the loss to the self, and neglect of necessary 
adaptive activities.13 Grieving a violent death is 
different from a normal or uncomplicated 
bereavement behavior as the difference in the 
death is caused by human intent or negligence.10 
Therefore, disturbed or complicated grief can be 
understood as a condition that arises when the 
normal progression of grief does not occur.13 Due 
to the life-altering experience of losing a child to 
gun violence, Black mothers experience prolonged 
feelings of pain and detachment from others which 
ultimately heightens the emotional presence of 
complicated grief.  There is a direct correlation 
between B.M.C.G.V. and Black mothers’ reported 
experiences of complicated grief. For instance, 
according to a recent study by Burke et al 2010, 
which investigated African Americans’ processing 
of homicide bereavement in Memphis Tennessee, 
findings reveal that Black mothers reported 
bereavement outcomes such as complicated grief, 
PTSD, and depression.15 The complicated grief, 
post-traumatic stress, and depressive symptoms 

that B.M.C.G.V., also often encourage Black’s 
mother’s to independently search for effective ways 
and alternative strategies to understand the death 
of their child. Furthermore, prior research suggests 
that throughout the process of navigating effective 
ways to understand their children's death, that 
Black mothers also demonstrate resilience and 
self-coping strategies. 

1.4 Resilience 
 Black mothers that are grieving the death of 
their children often develop resilience and coping 
strategies by relying on social networks and 
appraising positive meaning to the occurrence of 
death. Based on the Bailey et al 2013 study, which 
examined B.M.C.G.V. in Canada, social support 
and assigning a positive meaning to the death of 
one’s child mediated the effects of post-traumatic 
stress that Canadian Black mothers experienced. 
Social support and positive appraisal as mediating 
factors ultimately played a role in increasing 
feelings of resilience among Canadian Black 
mothers within this sample that lost children to 
gun violence.11 This specific finding highlights 
how Black mothers that lose children to gun 
violence do not only experience depression, grief, 
and trauma, but also that they embody resilience 
and embrace self-coping mechanisms despite their 
traumatic experiences to affirm emotional 
sustainability. 

1.5 Post-Traumatic Growth 
 Post-traumatic growth (PTG) consists of 
positive psychological changes that arise from 
experiencing new opportunities that come to light 
as a result of a traumatic experience, as well as 
through the cognitive and emotional processing of 
trauma-related thoughts, sensations, emotions 
and, memories.16,

 

17 Notably, multiple findings 
demonstrate that people identifying with 
oppressed identities – such as racial minorities or 
women – report higher PTG than those 
identifying with more privileged statuses. Given 
that Black mothers identify as a racial minority and 
are normatively classified as women, post-
traumatic growth is a relational variable that 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

applies to African American mothers who lost a 
child to gun violence. Research on the intersection 
of post-traumatic growth and gun violence in the 
Baltimore-Washington area claims that post-
traumatic growth can be conceptualized as, how 
individuals work to reconcile their trauma with 
their religious beliefs and can strengthen those 
beliefs, lead to positive spiritual change, shifting 
priorities, and an appreciation for life post-
trauma.18 This classification of post-traumatic 
growth will serve as the working definition used to 
explain Black mothers' post-traumatic experiences 
after losing a child to gun violence in this article. 
In the context of the Baltimore-Washington DC 
region, some Black mothers' process of healing is 
marked by engagement with post-traumatic 
growth as means to cope with the trauma 
associated with the death of their child. 
 As shown, there is evidence throughout inner 
cities in the U.S and Canada that Black mothers 
experience psychological depression, post-
traumatic stress, and complicated grief while 
mourning the death of their children who were 
homicide victims of gun violence. However, what 
has not been clarified in this area of research are 
the specific and intricate ways in which Black 
mothers develop resilience, coping mechanisms, 
and post-traumatic growth qualities in the process 
of grieving the death of their child. The specific 
ways that Black mothers develop resilience, 
embrace post-traumatic growth, and cope with the 
death of their children who are homicide victims 
has not been researched in-depth on a mass scale 
in the field of psychology, rendering their 
experiences invisible. Research surrounding this 
topic tends to solely focus on Black mothers’ grief, 
depression, and psychological trauma in both of 
these major cities. While this is important, it leaves 
out possible moderating factors like resilience, 
coping, and post-traumatic growth that also 
characterizes Black mothers' lived experiences 
which, if identified, could provide policymakers 
and practitioners with levers for improving mental 
health services within Black communities 
throughout the Washington, DC, and Baltimore 
City metropolitan region. 

1.6 Current Study 
 This study will seek to investigate Black 
mothers whose children have been homicide 
victims of gun violence throughout the Baltimore-
Washington DC regions’ emotional experiences of 
depression, complicated grief, and posttraumatic 
stress. Additionally, this study will also document 
these women’s processes of formulating resilience, 
post-traumatic growth, and effective coping 
strategies. This research project aims to not only 
analyze the complicated grief, psychological 
depression, and posttraumatic stress that Black 
mothers face whose children were victims of gun 
violence but also to document Black mothers’ 
independent self-coping strategies, methods of 
resiliency, and post-traumatic growth capabilities. 
Findings from this line of research will provide 
actionable steps for local policymakers and 
practitioners (social workers; community workers) 
to support the needs of Black mothers enduring 
the death of a child due to gun violence in the 
Baltimore- Washington, DC region. 
 
2. Methods 

2.1 Research Design 
 This study used a mixed-methods descriptive 
research design to examine how grief, post-
traumatic stress, and depressive symptoms that are 
induced from losing a child to gun violence affect 
the variables of resilience and posttraumatic 
growth among a sample of Black mothers living in 
the Washington DC-Baltimore metropolitan area.  

2.2 Research Questions 
 This study sought to examine three specific 
research questions which includes:  
 
 (1) How do Black mothers that have children who 
have been homicide victims of gun violence 
experience feelings of depression, grief, and post-
traumatic stress? 
 (2) Do Black mothers who lose a child to gun 
violence embody characteristics that resemble 
variables of post-traumatic growth? 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

 (3) What coping strategies and forms of resilience 
do these mothers use or demonstrate that may be 
effective in mitigating the crippling effects of 
losing a child to violence?  

2.3 Hypotheses 
(1) Black Mothers in Washington DC who have 
lost a child to gun violence will exhibit emotional 
expressions of trauma, grief, and depression. 
(Independent variable = gun violence; dependent 
variable = trauma, grief, depression)  
(2) Black Mothers in this study will showcase high 
levels of self-sufficient coping mechanisms, post-
traumatic qualities, and traits of resilience 

2.4 Sample 
 The sample of this study includes a total of 4 
Black mothers that are between the ages of 18-65 

years old. All of the women involved in this study 
met the eligibility criteria of losing a child to gun 
violence and living in the Washington-DC and 
Baltimore city metropolitan area. To limit the 
possibility of emotional harm, participation in this 
study was restricted to only Black mothers in the 
Washington-Baltimore area who lost a child to 
gun violence 1 year or more prior to the start date 
of the study in December 2020. Demographic data 
in Table 1 shows Black mothers that participated 
in this study’s occupation status and economic 
welfare dependence on public assistance. 
Furthermore, Table 1 also indicates the context 
under which the gun violence occurred, including 
the average age of the child when they passed away, 
if the individual(s) responsible for this death were 
identified, and whether the individual(s) 
responsible were law enforcement agents (Table 
1).

 
Table 1: Participant child’s age at death, knowledge of perpetrator(s), perpetrator(s) involvement with law 
enforcement, marital status, and dependence on welfare assistance
Participant Child 

Age  
at 

death 

Does the participant 
know the individual 
responsible for the 

death of their child? 

Were individuals 
responsible for the child 

death police officers or law 
enforcement agent(s)? 

Marital  
Status 

Public Assistance   food 
stamps (SNAP), 

Medicaid, housing 
assistance, welfare 

(TANF), etc? 
Participant 1 17 Yes Yes Widowed No 
Participant 2 14 Yes No Married No 
Participant 3 24 Yes Yes Single No 
Participant 4 29 Yes No Single No 

2.5 Recruitment and Data Collection  
 Upon receiving approval from Georgetown 
University’s Institutional review board, a 
multiplicity-network sampling method was used to 
recruit participants from several non-profit 
organizations and community grief support 
groups. Multiplicity or network sampling is a 
process by which individuals distribute recruiting 
information with neighbors, co-workers, and 
members of their community at large. Multiplicity 
sampling is best used for locating and measuring 
rare populations.18 Using this sampling method, 
this study began with a target population of 2 
Black mothers who completed the survey and 

interview portion of this research design after 
being referred by community mental healthcare 
providers and non-profit organizations leaders. 
The individuals and organizations featured in the 
initial target population of this study then shared 
recruiting materials such as flyers and the principal 
investigator’s contact information with other 
women who met the eligibility criteria to 
participate in this research design. Given the grief-
provoking nature of the content discussed during 
this study, all participants were provided with a 
phone number of a licensed grief therapist that 
specializes in trauma-informed violence 
interventions. Lastly, all participants were also 
provided with access to Washington DC’s 

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Department of Behavioral services mental health 
mobile hotline and Baltimore city’s accredited 
crisis center’s phone line. 

2.6 Measures  
 To assess the demographic data of the 
population of Black mothers involved in this study 
participants were asked a series of self-reported 
survey questions regarding marital status, 
occupation, and public assistance income benefits. 
Marital status was assessed among participants by 
asking the question “What is your current marital 
status?” Participants occupation was investigated 
using the question “Are you currently working for 
pay, full or part-time?”. Income was determined by 
asking about participants' access to receiving public 
benefits using the question “Do you receive any 
public benefits like food stamps (SNAP), 
Medicaid, housing assistance, welfare (TANF), 
etc?” Lastly, to determine the context and 
occurrence of this sample of Black mothers’ 
children’s death, participants were asked about the 
age of the child at death, the individual(s) 
responsible for the death, and if this or these 
individual(s) were law enforcement agents. The 
questions used to obtain this information included 
“Please enter the age of your child or loved one 
were when they passed away”, “Do you know the 
individual(s) who was responsible for the death of 
your child or loved one?”, “Were these or these 
individuals police officer(s) or member(s) of law 
enforcement agencies?” (Table 1).  

2.6.1 Complicated Grief (9 Items) 

 Questions measuring complicated grief among 
B.M.C.G.V. were drawn from the Prigerson, et al. 
1995 Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) 
which measures feelings of sadness, anger, and 
disbelief on a 4-point Likert scale 
(0=never,1=rarely, 3=sometimes, 5=Often).19 The 
inventory of complicated grief asks questions such 
as “how often do you feel empty without the 
person who died?” and “how often do you feel 
bitter over this person's death?”. The ICG’s 
internal consistency, as reported by Prigerson, et 
al. (1995), was very good; the alpha coefficient was 

.94. The test-retest reliability was found in the 
same study to be .80. In addition, this scale has a 
well-validated clinical cut point.20, 19 

2.6.1 Post-Traumatic Stress (5 Items) 

  To document the post-traumatic stress that 
B.M.C.G.V. experienced this study used the Daniel 
S. Weiss. Revised Trauma Impact Event Scale – 
which captures the amount of stress that 
individuals associate with traumatic events on a 3-
point Likert scale (1=somewhat true, 2 = mostly 
true, 3 = Very much true.) Items on the Impact-
Event scale seek to capture characteristics of 
intrusion and avoid avoidance.21 Sample questions 
from this scale include: for example, “How much 
trouble are you having/have you had accepting the 
death of ____?)  and (ex: “How much do you avoid 
things that remind you of your loved one?).  The 
internal consistency of intrusion and avoidance on 
Daniel S. Weiss Revised 2007 event scale was 
acceptable (Cronbach’s, alpha for intrusion = 0.79, 
for avoidance = 0.82).  The test–retest reliability 
was satisfactory, with coefficients of 0.87 for 
intrusion and 0.79 for avoidance.21  

2.6.2 Depressive Symptomatology (1 Item) 

 One item was used to assess depressive 
symptomatology present among B.M.C.G.V. This 
was a specific yes or no depression screening 
question that asked, “during the last month have 
you had a period of 2 weeks or more when nearly 
every day you felt sad, empty, or depressed for most 
of the day or you lost interest in most things like 
work, hobbies, and other things you usually 
enjoy?”. This question was derived from 
Georgetown University’s Professor Dr. Anna D. 
Johnson prior research on depression among 
parents. 

2.6.3 Post-Traumatic Growth (4 Items) 

 To record post-traumatic growth among 
B.M.C.G.V. in this study use Tedeschi & Calhoun 
1996 post-traumatic growth inventory. The 
Posttraumatic Growth Inventory measures 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

positive outcomes reported by individuals who 
have undergone a traumatic event on a 4-point 
Likert scale (1= Not true about me, 2= A little true, 
3 = Somewhat true, 4= Mostly True).  This scale 
includes items such as, “I have a stronger sense of 
religious faith, I discovered I am stronger than I 
thought I was, etc”. The internal consistency of the 
resulting 21-item Post-traumatic growth 
inventory is a = .90. The test-retest reliability for 
the 21-item FTGI was acceptable at r = .71.16  

2.6.4 Resilience and Coping Strategies (3 Items) 

 Using a qualitative interview approach, this 
study interpreted the resilience of B.M.C.G.V. and 
their self-coping strategies through a narrative 
analysis methodology with a topical story focus. A 
narrative analysis helps focus on the events and 
experiences that shape a person’s self-
understanding.22 Topical stories are about a 
particular event or specific character.23 In the 
context of this study, Black mothers were centered 
in the analysis and the event of losing one child to 
gun violence was captured as the particular event. 
Throughout an oral interview, Black mothers were 
asked 3 specific questions which include “1. If you 
could describe yourself as a mother in one word, 
what would it be? 2. How did you cope, 
understand, or make meaning of the death of your 
child? 3. Taking into account that you endured the 
experience of losing a child to gun violence, what 
political policy(s) would you like to see reflected to 
possibly aid yourself or anyone else in this 
position?”. These questions were used to situate 
Black mothers at the forefront of documenting 
their own experiences considering that narratives 
are extremely helpful in gaining an understanding 
complex topics about which little is known.24 

2.7 Procedure 
 Participants who met the inclusion criteria of 
being a Black mother who lost a child to gun 
violence in the Baltimore-Washington area 1 year 
or more prior to the start date of the study in 

December 2020 were scheduled to complete the 
survey and interview portion of this study. Prior to 
beginning the study, Black mothers were given a 
detailed-written summary explaining the purpose 
of the research project along with an informed 
consent signature component that asked for 
participants’ permission to participate in the study.  
Given the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, 
Black mothers that agreed to participate in this 
study were given the consent form and online 
survey information via email or text and completed 
the survey via zoom video call or telephone. To 
control for social desirability bias reporting among 
participants before completing the self-reported 
survey the principal investigator re-assured 
participants that all survey results will be 
completely confidential and free of judgement. 
Additionally, participants were not informed or 
notified of which survey items corresponded to the 
topics being evaluated such as post-traumatic 
stress, complicated grief, or depression in order to 
further reduce the likelihood of reporting bias and 
experimenter effects. As participants began the 
survey, they were notified that their responses will 
be completely anonymous and no identifying 
information would be collected such as (i.e. last 
names, addresses, birthdates, etc.). Participants 
completed the online self-reported questionnaire 
survey with their cameras and microphones off and 
were informed if they had any questions that 
participants may unmute themselves to ask the 
principal investigator for assistance. 
  Upon completing the survey, participants were 
then welcomed to engage in an oral interview with 
the principal investigator. To ensure safety 
measures in the light of social distancing 
guidelines, participants completed the oral 
interviews via phone call or using the online zoom 
video platform. The oral interview began with a 
Greeting and Brief introduction of the Principal 
Investigator’s name and reason for doing the 
research. The principal investigator then 
proceeded to inform the participants of their rights 
to confidentiality, described how the interviews 
will not be recorded, and explained that if at any 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

time mothers felt uncomfortable or were unwilling 
to answer any interview question, the participant 
may choose not to answer questions or discontinue 
their participation in the study. Participants were 
then guided into a narrative discussion focusing on 
the 3 qualitative items and prompted to take as 
much time as needed to assess and fully answer 
each question contingent upon their 
comfortability. After participants completed the 
oral interview, each participant was thanked for 
their participation and offered a complimentary 
$30 Safeway gift card.  

2.8 Analytic Strategy 
 Given the small sample size of this study, the 
survey data were analyzed using basic descriptive 
statistics. Therefore, the most frequently reported 
information that Black mothers selected on the 
self-reported measure were organized by total and 
calculated into percentage values. The use of 
percentage values was the most cohesive and 
efficient quantitative analysis that can be used to 
showcase the data outcomes of B.M.C.G.V. 
reported experiences with post-traumatic stress, 
complicated grief, depressive symptomatology, 
and post-traumatic growth.  
 The oral interviews were analyzed and 
transcribed using a qualitative inductive thematic 
analysis. An applied inductive thematic analysis is 
a process that includes comparing and analyzing 
concepts found within participants’ narratives, for 
the purpose of identifying central themes that 
helped to explain grief and coping strategies.4 The 
raw transcript data was imported into the Dedoose 
qualitative-mixed methods software and then 
analyzed by identifying emerging themes from 
participants' responses. Table 2 summarizes the 
responses participants provided to the qualitative 
oral interview items and the themes/sub-themes 
that emerged in the data. 
 
 
 

3. Results 
 The results from the inductive thematic 
analysis indicated that 9 themes emerged from 
B.M.C.G.V. oral interviews. These 9 themes will 
be listed and discussed in the next few sentences. 
For qualitative item 1 which assessed Black 
mothers character traits, themes such as Loving, 
Committed, and Strong were prevalent. On 
qualitative item 2 which documented Black 
mothers' experiences with coping and resilience, 
the themes of: Active Coping (Self-love, Forgiveness, 
Faith in God) and Avoidant Coping (Denial, 
Betrayal, and Not Coping) were shown directly. 
Lastly, qualitative item 3 that focused on Black 
mothers’ policy recommendations themes like 
Demanding Resources for Families and Laws on Gun 
Violence Prevention that give attention to the victims 
emerged from the data (Table 2).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

36



Table 2: Qualitative themes of resilience and coping strategies. 
Question Theme Direct Quote 
Q1: If you could describe yourself as a 
mother in one word, what would it 
be? 

Loving Participant 1: “Loving”  
 

Participant 4: “Unconditionally loving” 

 Committed Participant 2: “Committed” 
 Strong Participant 3: “Strong” 
Q2: How did you cope, understand, or 
make meaning of the death of your 
child? 

Active Coping 
      Self-love 
 
 

      Forgiveness 
 
 

      Faith in God 

 
Participant 1: “embracing self-love and self-care 
using meditation/yoga” 
 

Participant 1: “learning to pursue  
forgiveness to turn purpose into” 
 

Participant 3: “greater faith in God” 
 Avoidance coping 

      Denial 
 
 

      Betrayal 
 
 

      Lack of coping 

 
Participant 4: “felt denial things were in slow 
motion” 
 

Participant 1: “initially feeling of  
betrayal”  
 

Participant 2: “I did not cope” 
 Laws on gun violence 

prevention and centered 
attention on victims 

Participant 4: “prevent guns from getting on the 
streets” 
 

Participant 2: “gun laws to become more 
appropriate”  
 

Participant 3: “more attention to cases that are not 
high profile” 
 

Participant 4: “a space where children in elementary 
school learn coping mechanisms and alternatives to 
gun violence” 

Q3: What political policy(s) would you 
like to see reflected to possibly aid 
yourself or anyone else in this position? 

Demanding resources for 
families 

Participant 1:  Implementing resources that 
encourage and make court testimonies for mothers 
and families who have been impacted by gun 
violence more efficient.” 
 

Participant 2: “More resources to the court system 
and the victims' families. “ 
 

Participant 3: “More resources for the family for the 
families when child lost from law enforcements, 
more forensics test, free lawyers, and mental health 
resources for the fathers”   

 Laws on gun violence 
prevention and centered 
attention on victims 

Participant 4: “prevent guns from getting on the 
streets” 
 

Participant 2: “gun laws to become more 
appropriate”  
 

Participant 3: “more attention to cases that are not 
high profile” 
 

Participant 4: “a space where children in elementary 
school learn coping mechanisms and alternatives to 
gun violence”  

37



 The quantitative results obtained from the self-
reported measures demonstrated that B.M.C.G.V. 
experience compounding levels of post-traumatic 
stress, complicated grief, and post-traumatic 
growth. 

3.1 Post-Traumatic Stress 
 Findings associated with post-traumatic stress 
indicated that all Black mothers who lost a child to 
gun violence in this study reported that it was 
somewhat true that they avoid things that remind 
them of their loved ones such as going places they 
used to go together and looking at their pictures. 
(n =4, 100%).  3 out of 4 of the mothers in this 
study also reported that it was somewhat true they 
felt cut off or distant from other people since their 
loved one died – specifically people they used to 
feel close to such as their family and friends (n=3, 
75%). 

3.2 Complicated Grief 
 Outcomes related to complicated grief revealed 
that all mothers reported that they felt a great deal 
of loneliness since their child has died. (n= 4, 
100%).  Furthermore, 3 out 4 B.M.C.G.V. reported 
that memories of their child upset them in the last 
past 7 days (n= 3, 75%).  

3.3 Post-Traumatic Growth 
 Results aligning with post-traumatic growth 
displayed that all Black mothers in this study 
reported it was mostly true that they learned they 
were stronger than they originally thought they 
were after losing a child to gun violence. (n=4, 
100%). 3 out of 4 Black mothers in this study 
stated it is mostly true that they developed a strong 
religious faith upon losing a child to gun violence. 
(n= 3, 75%). Additionally, 3 out of 4 Black 
mothers in this study reported that they found a 
stronger sense of purpose in life upon losing a child 
to gun violence (n = 3, 75%). 

 

 

3.4 Depressive Symptomatology 
 Black mothers’ reports of depressive 
symptomatology contained a large amount of 
variation and did not produce any significant 
results. 

4. Discussion – Policy Recommendations 
 The findings of this study that captured post-
traumatic stress, complicated grief, and 
posttraumatic growth among B.M.C.G.V. are 
consistent with pre-existing literature and 
hypothesis 1. Hypothesis 1 indicated that Black 
Mothers in the Washington DC- Baltimore area 
who have lost a child to gun violence will exhibit 
emotional expressions of trauma, grief, and 
depression. As shown, in the quantitative and 
qualitative results of this study: the homicidal loss 
of a child is one of the most disruptive 
psychological traumas that a mother can 
experience.25 Post-traumatic stress can be 
characterized as an experience of distressing 
oscillation between intrusion and avoidance.21 
Black mothers reported experiences of avoiding 
things that remind them of their child is a detailed 
indicator that exemplifies the post-traumatic stress 
associated with losing a child to gun violence. 
Moreover, the post-traumatic stress that 
B.M.C.G.V. in this study experienced was further 
marked by feeling distant from their close family 
members because of the intrusive emotions that 
these mothers encountered when thinking about 
their children as homicide victims. Due to the type 
of death—homicide—which entails suddenness, 
lack of anticipation, violence, and destruction, a 
longer grieving interval may be present among 
Black mothers who lost a child to gun violence.4 It 
is important to note that all B.M.C.G.V. included 
in this study lost their child 1-3 years more prior 
to the start date of this study. Despite this interval 
of time, all Black mothers in the study reported 
they experienced constant feelings of loneliness 
and that memories of their child in the past 7 days 
upset them. In the midst of these Black mothers 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

processing the complicated grief associated with 
losing a child, some Black mothers sought to 
reconcile their trauma with their religious beliefs 
which can strengthen those beliefs, lead to positive 
spiritual change, shifted priorities, and an 
appreciation for life post-trauma.16 Hypothesis 2 
which predicted that Black Mothers demonstrate 
high levels of self-sufficient coping mechanisms, 
post-traumatic growth qualities, and traits of 
resilience was proven to be true. Post-traumatic 
growth was a prevalent variable and resilient 
coping mechanism that allowed mothers to 
manage the stress associated with the loss. As 
shown in this study, 3 out 4 of Black mothers 
reported that it was mostly true that they 
developed a strong religious faith and found a 
stronger sense of purpose in life upon losing a child 
to gun violence. Most notably, all of the mothers 
in this study reported it was mostly true that they 
learned they were stronger than they originally 
thought they were after losing a child to gun 
violence. Therefore, Black mothers' reported 
experiences of  post-traumatic growth in this study 
can be seen as a positive psychological change due 
to the experience and processing of the disaster and 
its aftermath.26  
 The qualitative findings demonstrated that 
there is a multitude of resilience methods and 
coping strategies that shape B.M.C.G.V. healing 
processes. Based on the reported data in this study, 
Black mothers explained themselves as loving, 
committed, strong, and unconditionally loving despite 
their lived experiences of losing a child to gun 
violence. (See Table 2). This initial finding 
encouraged Black mothers to speak toward their 
experiences with coping. Coping is the set of 
intentional, goal-directed efforts people engage in 
to minimize the physical, psychological, or social 
harm of an event or situation.27, 28 Black mothers 
reported coping experiences diverged among two 
outcomes which were active coping and avoidant 
coping. Active coping refers to the utilization of 
psychological or behavioral coping efforts that are 

characterized by an attempt to use one’s resources 
to deal with a problem situation.29 These responses 
are designed either to change the nature of the 
stressful situation or event in order to decrease the 
problematic nature of that situation or event, or to 
modify how one thinks and feels about it in order 
to change one’s reactions to it.29 Avoidance coping 
involves cognitive and behavioral efforts oriented 
toward denying, minimizing, or otherwise 
avoiding dealing directly with stressful demands.30 
Black mothers reported active coping styles were 
displayed through themes such as self-love, 
forgiveness, and faith in god. These active coping 
strategies were used by Black mothers as a 
leveraging effort to reframe and manage stressful 
emotions surrounding losing a child to gun 
violence. On the contrary, Black mothers’ avoidant 
coping styles in this study were situated on denial, 
betrayal, and lack of coping. The avoidant coping 
style’s mothers demonstrated were centered on 
focal points that allowed mothers to dissuade and 
desist from coping as a way to sustain their 
psychological distress surrounding losing a child to 
gun violence. Both of the coping styles mothers 
demonstrated were effective variables that 
formulated the policy suggestions that B.M.C.G.V. 
in this study recommended. 
 Outcomes regarding Black mothers’ policy 
suggestions can be interpreted through a Black 
feminist pedagogical lens. A Black feminist 
pedagogy is a methodology for promoting equality 
and multiple visions and perspectives that parallel 
Black women’s attempts to be and become 
recognized as human beings and citizens rather 
than objects and victims.31 B.M.C.G.V. in this 
study’s policy recommendations were centered on 
mothers advocating for equity and restorative laws 
that valued their experiences as citizens who lost a 
child to gun violence. Black mothers reported 
themes detailing that Black mothers were: 
Demanding resources for families and Laws on gun 
violence prevention that are centered around victims. 
The policy recommendations that Black mothers 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

in this study provided focusing on garnering more 
resources to families in the court of law, providing free 
legal services, and implementing alternatives to gun 
violence can be viewed as progressive solutions for 
change that can be adopted by council members 
and mental health providers in the Baltimore-
Washington area. 
 Taking this into account, the next steps should 
focus on analyzing how the deliverable policy 
outcomes that Black mothers reported relating to 
legal advocacy support and mental health pipelines 
can be explored as effective buffers to augment the 
emotional burden of losing a child to gun violence. 
Furthermore, future research should study post-
traumatic growth, complicated grief, post-
traumatic stress, and depressive symptoms among 
B.M.C.G.V. with a larger sample size in order to 
gain statistically significant results. Lastly, the field 
of psychology should seek to use intersectional 
tailored psychometric scales that are attentive to 
B.M.C.G.V. social identities and lived experiences 
in order to gain rich and meaningful data on this 
topic.  

5. Limitations 
 This study includes several limitations that 
should be addressed in future research. For 
example, given the small sample size of 
B.M.C.G.V. that were involved in this study, 
findings should be interpreted with caution. This 
small sample is not fully representative of the larger 
population of B.M.C.G.V. in the Baltimore-
Washington area therefore the outcomes in this 
study are not generalizable. Moreover, considering 
that this study does not include a comparison 
group to B.M.C.G.V, the findings of this study do 
not control for external factors that may have also 
influenced this population's reported outcomes 
relating to depression, grief, and post-traumatic 
stress. For example, the high variability within the 
marital status among B.M.C.G.V in this study may 
have impacted each mothers’ reported outcomes 
regarding depression, complicated grief, and post-
traumatic growth. Additionally, this study was 

conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 
pandemic mothers reported feelings of 
complicated grief, post-traumatic stress and 
depressive symptoms may have been heightened 
due to the global crisis that was occurring during 
the time this data was assessed. 

6. Conclusions 

 This study examined how post-traumatic 
stress, complicated grief, and depressive symptoms 
induced from losing a child to gun violence affect 
Black mothers’ methods of resilience, coping 
strategies, and post-traumatic growth possibilities. 
Black mothers' experiences with resilience, coping, 
and posttraumatic growth is an understudied topic 
that needs to be more thoroughly investigated, 
understood, and acknowledged as a notable source 
of scientific inquiry. Evaluating Black mothers' 
experiential knowledge with losing a child to gun 
violence is a necessary topic to research considering 
that the reported outcomes from this population 
can allow the field of psychology to understand 
Black motherhood through an informative lens 
that showcases an array of alternative healing 
methods. Black mothers' informative and elusive 
healing methods can serve as vectors of knowledge 
that can inform legislation surrounding allocating 
resources to communities in which Black mothers 
experience the most prevalence of gun violence. By 
centering on Black mothers' healing experiences, 
this study aims to leverage these mothers' socially 
innovative suggestions to encourage clinicians and 
councilmembers to improve mental health services 
for the B.M.C.G.V. in the Washington, DC-
Baltimore city metropolitan region  
 
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Danya Adams
  
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	Table of Contents
	Letter From the Editors
	An Investigation Into theMathematics of DecryptionTechniques in RSA Encryption,With an Implementation in Python
	GPR40 and Postsynaptic NMDAReceptors: A Pair AgainstEpilepsy
	The Burn Behind the Bullet:Understanding Black Mothers’Experiences After Losing a Childto Gun Violence in Washington,DC-Baltimore City MetropolitanRegion
	Cancer Models to Defeat TherapyResistance in Pancreatic DuctalAdenocarcinoma
	Meet the Authors
	Meet the Staff
	Acknowledgments



