Race, Neighborhood Disadvantage, and Prehospital Law Enforcement Handcuffing in Children With Behavioral Health Emergencies.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Minoritized youth and children in resource-limited neighborhoods rely on emergency medical services (EMS) for accessing care, including during behavioral health emergencies (BHEs). Law enforcement (LE) officers sometimes use forceful tactics in such settings. Assessing LE actions is needed to ensure safe and equitable care for vulnerable populations.

Objective

To examine whether race and ethnicity, neighborhood disadvantage, sex, and age are associated with LE handcuffing during pediatric BHEs.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-sectional study analyzed LE handcuffing, demographic factors, and neighborhood disadvantage in Alameda County, California. The study population included children younger than 18 years who were evaluated by EMS for BHEs bet

SUBMITTER: Watkins K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11555546 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature