Longitudinal predictions of young adults' weapons use and criminal behavior from their childhood exposure to violence

Abstract

In this study, we examine whether youth who are exposed to more weapons violence are subsequently more likely to behave violently with weapons. We use data collected with a 3-cohort, 4-wave, 10-year longitudinal study of 426 high-risk youth from Flint, Michigan, who were second, fourth, or ninth-graders in 2006-2007. The data were obtained from individual interviews with the youth, their parents, and their teachers, from archival school and criminal justice records, and from geocoded criminal offense data. These data show that early exposure to weapons violence significantly correlates at modest levels with weapon carrying, weapon use or threats-to-use, arrests for weapons use, and criminally violent acts 10 years later.Multiple regression analyses, controlling for children's initial aggressiveness, intellectual achievement, and parents' income, education, and aggression, reveal statistically significant independent 10-year effects: (1) more early exposure to weapon use within the family predicts more using or threatening to use a gun; (2) more cumulative early violent video game playing predicts more gun using or threatening to use weapons, and normative beliefs that gun use is acceptable; (3) more cumulative early exposure to neighborhood gun violence predicts more arrests for a weapons crime; and (4) more cumulative early exposure to movie violence predicts more weapon carrying. We argue that youth who observe violence with weapons, whether in the family, among peers, or through the media or video games, are likely to be infected from exposure with a social-cognitive-emotional disease that increases their own risk of behaving violently with weapons later in life.

The link between exposure to violent media, normative beliefs about aggression, self‐control, and aggression: A comparison of traditional and cyberbullying

“…From the perspective of maladaptive social norm learning and online disinhibition effect, we aim to examine whether NBA mediates the link between EVM and TB/CB and consider whether adolescents' SC plays a protective role. Some previous studies confirm that NBA plays a mediator role in the relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive behaviors (e.g., Huesmann et al, 2021;Zhu et al, 2018). Also, SC plays buffering role in the relationship between exposure to violence/aggressive beliefs and aggressive behaviors in some previous studies (e.g., Brown, 2019;Gabbiadini et al, 2022).…”

“…Some previous studies confirm that NBA plays a mediator role in the relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive behaviors (e.g., Huesmann et al, 2021; Zhu et al, 2018). Also, SC plays buffering role in the relationship between exposure to violence/aggressive beliefs and aggressive behaviors in some previous studies (e.g., Brown, 2019; Gabbiadini et al, 2022).…”

“…These results indicate that NBA can be the mechanism of aggressive behaviors in both offline and online situations. Some previous studies have found that NBA plays a mediator role in the relationship between exposure to violence and TB or CB (e.g., Huesmann et al, 2021; Zhu et al, 2018). Nonetheless, by testing both bullying behaviors, our study provides an opportunity to compare the role of NBA in both bullying behaviors.…”

Retaliatory attitudes as mediator of exposure to violence and firearm aggression among youth: The protective role of organized activity involvement.

“…Notably, observing violence, knowing victims, and other forms of indirect ETV are also associated with firearm carriage and violence (Lee et al, 2020; Schmidt et al, 2019; Webster et al, 1993). In a recent study, early exposure to violence with weapons such as neighborhood firearm violence and exposure to violent video games have been associated with firearm-related risk factors such as weapon carrying (Huesmann et al, 2021). Although informative, such studies center risk factors as key predictors of firearm aggression and do not consider positive influences that might mitigate risk.…”

The longitudinal relation between violence exposure in daily life, hostile automatic thoughts, and cyber‐aggression

“…Moreover, recent studies indicate exposure to violence in daily life is positively associated with cyber‐aggression (Jin et al, 2018; Lu et al, 2019). Although most of studies explore the relation between violence exposure and cyber‐aggression through cross‐sectional designs, recent longitudinal studies show specific violence exposure (i.e., ethnic‐political conflict and violence, weapons) facilities their increased offline aggression and weapons use (Huesmann et al, 2017; Huesmann et al, 2021). To some extent, cyber‐aggression is similar to offline aggression.…”