Discrepancies between community violence exposure and perceived neighborhood violence

Abstract

Community violence exposure (CVE) has been identified as a significant public health concern given its association with numerous mental health problems. Perceptions of neighborhood violence (PNV) also may adversely affect youth adjustment. In recognition that PNV may differ from individuals own experience of CVE, the current study utilized latent class analysis to examine the degree and consequences of consistency and discrepancy in adolescents community violence exposure and PNV. Participants included an epidemiologically-defined community sample of 456 African American adolescents (52% male; mean age=11.77). Results revealed three groups of youth: high CVE/high PNV, low CVE/low PNV, and low CVE/high PNV. Longitudinal analyses suggest that a discrepancy between CVE and PNV is important for understanding depressive and anxious symptoms among urban African American youth. Implications for intervention are discussed.

The Role of Neighborhood Context and School Climate in School‐Level Academic Achievement

“…Results from this study extend this body of research by showing a similarly strong association between academic achievement and SES at the institutional level. Furthermore, research shows that exposure to violent crime has a negative impact on several domains of youth development including academic achievement (Gardella, Tanner‐Smith & Fisher, ; Henrich et al., ; Hurd et al., ; Moilanen et al., ) and that children from lower income backgrounds are disproportionately affected by community violence (Benhorin & McMahon, ; Cammack et al., ; Evans, ). This study ties together these threads of research by revealing violent crime as a mechanism by which SES influences youth outcomes.…”

“…Children from low‐income backgrounds are disproportionately more likely to live in violent neighborhoods and either witness or fall victim to acts of violence, especially in urban communities (e.g., Cammack, Lambert, & Ialongo, ; Evans, ; McMahon et al., ). It is estimated that the majority of inner city adolescents have been exposed to community violence and up to one‐third have been directly victimized (Margolin & Gordis, ).…”

“…The factors that contribute to violence in community settings are likely to “spillover” to school settings (Astor, Benbenishty, & Estrada, ; Moilanen, Shaw, & Maxwell, ). Youth who are victims or witnesses of violence are more likely to act aggressively at school (Brockenbrough, Cornell & Loper, ; Cammack et al., ; Margolin & Gordis, ; McMahon et al., ; Schwartz & Gorman, ; Thompson & Massat, ). Furthermore, students exposed to more types of violence feel less safe in school and perform less well academically (Henrich, Schwab‐Stone, Fanti, Jones, & Ruchkin, ; Hurd, Stoddard, & Zimmerman, ; Moilanen et al., ).…”

Epidemiologic Research on Interpersonal Violence and Common Psychiatric Disorders: Where Do We Go From Here?

“…Time-sensitive modeling techniques that are able to incorporate multiple interacting factors across long periods of time are critical in understanding the complexity of the relationship between violence and psychopathology from early development to the end stages of life. First, person-centered statistical techniques such as latent growth analysis (LCA) and growth mixture modeling (GMM) can group people with common experiences based on their responses to observed variables of interest: [16,[146][147][148][149][150] such techniques can be used to examine common longitudinal patterns of violence exposure at different time points, as well as common trajectories of psychopathology. For example, Nooner et al [151] used LCA to identify meaningful groups of at-risk preadolescent youth based on their self-report of physical and sexual abuse.…”

Using the Social Determinants of Health as a Framework to Examine and Address Predictors of Depression in Later Life

“…Problems within the community or neighborhood can have negative implications for psychosocial functioning, health, mental health, and quality of life (Cagney and Cornwell 2010;Cammack et al 2011;Kullberg et al 2010;Schootman et al 2010). These problems may include a variety of factors such as fear, violence, illegal activity, physical conditions, and the reputation of the neighborhood.…”