Exposure to community violence and post-traumatic stress symptoms: Mediating factors.

Overstreet, Stacy; Braun, Bonnie

doi:10.1037/h0087828

Cited by 112 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In this current study, crime-related activities were commonly reported; four of the ten most frequently reported traumatic events were crimerelated. This finding is consistent with research that has reported high incidences of violent crimes in urban, predominantly low-income communities of color [39][40][41]. Moreover, when specific event exposure was examined in this sample of African American women, crimerelated items were significantly associated with various perinatal outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

An Exploration of Lifetime Trauma Exposure in Pregnant Low-income African American Women

Dailey

Humphreys

Rankin

et al. 2008

Matern Child Health J

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Objectives-The objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of lifetime trauma exposure in relation to perinatal health outcomes in low-income African American women.Methods-One hundred and sixteen pregnant African American women recruited from two public prenatal clinics participated in this exploratory study. Information was obtained about psychological symptoms, medical conditions, prenatal care utilization, and health behaviors. To measure lifetime trauma exposure, women completed the Trauma History Questionnaire. Maternal and infant outcome data were obtained from the medical records following delivery.Results-The occurrence of trauma exposure was high, with 87% of the women reporting at least one traumatic event. Their mean age was 25 years, 21% were primiparas, and they reported a mean of 4.3 ± 3.5 (median = 3) traumatic events during their lifetime. Crime-related experiences were common and included incidents of family or friends being murdered or killed (40%), robberies (23%), home burglaries (14%), attacks with weapons (13%), and muggings (12%). Lifetime trauma exposure was significantly associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety, and generalized stress. Women with greater lifetime trauma exposure had a higher rate of tobacco use, higher rate of premature rupture of membranes, and longer maternal hospital stay. Conclusion-Low-incomeAfrican American women in this sample experienced a variety of traumatic events. Lifetime trauma exposure was associated with adverse perinatal health. Findings suggest the need to further investigate trauma across the lifespan to better understand the impact of these experiences on the reproductive health and well-being of women and their infants.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

An Exploration of Lifetime Trauma Exposure in Pregnant Low-income African American Women

Dailey

Humphreys

Rankin

et al. 2008

Matern Child Health J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Exposure to community violence is an element of the exosystem that adversely affects family functioning and stress (Overstreet & Braun, 2000), and the experience of community violence has been specifically associated with child maltreatment (Cicchetti & Lynch, 1993;Coulton, Crampton, Irwin, Spilsbury, & Korbin, 2007;Lynch & Cicchetti, 1998;. For example, Lynch and Cicchetti (1998) examined the mutual relationships among community violence, child maltreatment, and children's functioning over a 1-year period.…”

Section: Exposure To Community Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

Intergenerational Continuity of Child Abuse Among Adolescent Mothers

et al. 2012

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Among the negative sequelae of child maltreatment is increased risk for continuity of maltreatment into subsequent generations. Despite acknowledgment in the literature that the pathways toward breaking the cycle of maltreatment are likely the result of dynamic interactions of risk and protective factors across multiple ecological levels, few studies have followed high-risk samples of maltreated and nonmaltreated parents over time to evaluate such processes. In the current investigation, exposure to community violence and authoritarian parenting attitudes were evaluated as predictors of the intergenerational continuity of abuse, and the moderating effect of African American race was examined. The sample included 70 mothers and their 18-yearold children, who have been followed longitudinally since the third trimester of the adolescent mothers' pregnancy. Results revealed that among mothers with a child abuse history, higher exposure to community violence and lower authoritarian parenting attitudes were associated with increased risk for intergenerational continuity of abuse. The relation of authoritarian parenting attitudes to intergenerational continuity was moderated by race; the protective effects of authoritarian parenting were limited to the African American families only. The salience of multiple ecological levels in interrupting the intergenerational continuity of child abuse is discussed, and implications for preventive programs are highlighted.

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“…Women victims of violence are at increased risk for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide attempts (Bassuk, Melick & Browne, 1998;Miller & Finnerty, 1996). Children are affected by witnessing violence in their home or neighborhood environments (Osofsky, 1995;Overstreet & Braun, 2000;Schwab-Stone et al, 1995). Having childhood experiences of trauma or abuse can contribute to women's difficulties in current relationships and parenting (Melnick, 1999;Nicholson, 1998 presentation).…”

Section: Women and Trauma/violencementioning

confidence: 99%