Objective: To explore the experience of violent injury among young African-American men with gunshot or stab wounds to better understand violent injury.
Design: Convenience sample, using open-ended, semistructured interviews.
Setting: An urban, municipal hospital in Boston.
Patients: Eighteen African-American men between the ages of 18 and 25, who had been shot or stabbed.
Results: Analysis of the interviews revealed that these young men identify with a concept called "being a sucker". They perceive that a person who fails to retaliate when he is disrespected or injured will be viewed as weak and will be the target of future victimization.
Conclusions: This study reveals an important perception among these young male victims of violence that if they fail to respond violently to injury or the threat of injury, they will be at risk of further victimization. The social environment in which young male victims of violence live and the meaning of being a sucker must be considered in efforts to decrease recurrent interpersonal violence. Providers who care for young men who are victims of or at risk of violence should understand the implications of the social context on individual behaviors.