Psychological Symptoms Linking Exposure to Community Violence and Academic Functioning in African American Adolescents

Abstract

African American adolescents are exposed disproportionately to community violence, increasing their risk for emotional and behavioral symptoms that can detract from learning and undermine academic outcomes. The present study examined whether aggressive behavior and depressive and anxious symptoms mediated the association between exposure to community violence and academic functioning, and if the indirect effects of community violence on academic functioning differed for boys and girls, in a community sample of urban African American adolescents (N = 491; 46.6% female). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the indirect effect of exposure to community violence in grade 6 on grade 8 academic functioning. Results revealed that aggression in grade 7 mediated the association between grade 6 exposure to community violence and grade 8 academic functioning. There were no indirect effects through depressive and anxious symptoms, and gender did not moderate the indirect effect. Findings highlight the importance of targeting aggressive behavior for youth exposed to community violence to not only improve their behavioral adjustment but also their academic functioning. Implications for future research are discussed.

Socioemotional adjustment as a mediator of the association between exposure to community violence and academic performance in low-income adolescents.

“…The results from our study are in line with a sizable literature showing associations between violence exposure and internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Fowler & Braciszewski, 2009) and are consistent with recent work showing that aggressive behaviors but not anxious and depressive symptoms mediate the association between community violence exposure and academic achievement (Busby, Lambert, & Ialongo, 2013). The results of the current study also fit with the literature on developmental cascades which focuses on how functioning in different developmental domains is linked (Sameroff, 2000).…”

Chronic Childhood Trauma, Mental Health, Academic Achievement, and School‐Based Health Center Mental Health Services

“…Frequency of victimization had the most significant impact on development of mental health disorders, especially attention problems and poor academic achievement . Exposure to community violence inversely affected school engagement and performance when mental health disorders were included . Youth exposed to chronic trauma had a higher risk for dropout as mediated by mental health disorders .…”

Trauma-Informed Schools: Introduction to the Special Issue

“…Consistent with previous research, Woodbridge et al (2015) found that African American middle school students were more likely than Caucasian students to report exposure to trauma. When these negative personal experiences are compounded by experiences in unresponsive educational environments, African American students are disproportionately at risk for poor outcomes (Busby, Lambert, & Ialongo, 2013).…”