Risk Factors for Community Violence Exposure in Adolescence

Lambert, Sharon F.; Ialongo, Nicholas S.; Boyd, Rhonda C.; Cooley, Michele R.

doi:10.1007/s10464-005-6231-8

Cited by 149 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Some gender differences in exposure to violence were apparent. The finding that boys are more likely than girls to have been exposed to severe forms of community violence, especially that involving weapons, is consistent with much previous research (Lambert, Ialongo, Boyd, & Cooley, 2005) and may to some extent reflect the greater involvement of adolescent males in gang-related activities. While some existing research reports no gender difference in rates of witnessing domestic violence (Turner et al, 2006), in our sample boys appeared to be more likely than girls to witness violence between adults in the home.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Gender patterns in the contribution of different types of violence to posttraumatic stress symptoms among South African urban youth

Kaminer

Hardy

Heath

et al. 2013

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Objective: Identifying the comparative contributions of different forms of violence exposure to trauma sequelae can help to prioritize interventions for polyvictimized youth living in contexts of limited mental health resources. This study aimed to establish gender patterns in the independent and comparative contributions of five types of violence exposure to the severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms among Xhosa-speaking South African adolescents. Method: Xhosa-speaking adolescents (n = 230) attending a high school in a low-income urban community in South Africa completed measures of violence exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results: While witnessing of community violence was by far the most common form of violence exposure, for the sample as a whole only sexual victimization and being a direct victim of community violence, together with gender, contributed independently to the severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms. When the contribution of different forms of violence was examined separately for each gender, only increased exposure to community and sexual victimization were associated with symptom severity among girls, while increased exposure to direct victimization in both the community and domestic settings were associated with greater symptom severity in boys. Conclusions: The findings provide some preliminary motivation for focusing trauma intervention initiatives in this community on girls who have experienced sexual abuse compounded by victimization in the community, and boys who have been direct victims of either domestic or community violence. Further research is required to establish whether the risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptoms identified among adolescents in this study are consistent across different communities in South Africa, as well as across other resource-constrained contexts.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Gender patterns in the contribution of different types of violence to posttraumatic stress symptoms among South African urban youth

Kaminer

Hardy

Heath

et al. 2013

Child Abuse & Neglect

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“…For example, Brown and colleagues (1999: 94) stated that exposure to trauma has been linked with "deleterious mental health outcomes," and Paxton and colleagues (2004: 283) stated that "exposure to violence makes significant contributions to the presence of post-traumatic stress symptomatology" [italics in both quotes added for emphasis]. In light of these examples and others (Lambert et al 2005), the effect sizes observed in this study were smaller than expected. Three possible explanations for this unexpected finding are offered.…”

Section: Victimization and Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 57%

Victimization Among African-American Adolescents in Substance Abuse Treatment

Perron

Gotham

Cho

2008

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

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Victimization is regarded as a significant public health issue, especially among adolescents in urban areas. Although victimization is linked to substance use, the research on victimization among adolescents in treatment is underdeveloped. Given the high rate of victimization among African-American adolescents, further research on the prevalence and correlates of victimization for this population is needed. This knowledge can guide the development of effective treatment and prevention strategies. This study contributed to the research by examining the rate and different types of victimization among a sample of African-American adolescents in an urban substance abuse treatment program, testing whether victimization is associated with increased levels of psychopathology and high-risk behaviors; and comparing the rates and associations with existing studies of adolescent victimization. It reports on a sample of 259 African-American adolescents receiving substance abuse treatment in an inner-city program. Fifty-four percent of the subjects reported lifetime victimization. Severity of victimization was associated with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, traumatic stress disorder, and conduct disorder, although the effect sizes were relatively small. Lifetime victimization exhibited a relationship of small to moderate strength with high-risk behaviors (i.e., illegal activity, gang membership, multiple sex partners and unprotected sex). Service implications and recommendations for future research are provided. Keywords adolescent substance abuse treatment; adolescent victimization; adolescent violenceVictimization is the experience of direct or threatened harm, including physical violence, sexual violence, psychological or emotional abuse, and neglect (CDC 2007). Victimization among adolescents is a recognized public health concern, which motivated an in-depth report by the Office of the US Surgeon General (US DHHS 1999 The rate of victimization among African-American adolescents can be explained, in part, by their broader social and environmental conditions. Approximately one-third of AfricanAmerican adolescents live in economically depressed and socially marginalized neighborhoods, resulting in regular exposure to high rates of violence (Paxton et al. 2004). These are key factors that contribute to violence perpetration and victimization (McCart et al. 2005;Howard et al. 2002). Such conditions also give rise to using violence as a response to the ongoing pressures and threat of violence (Feigelman et al. 2000), which further complicates the problem of responding to and preventing victimization. ASSOCIATIONS WITH VICTIMIZATIONThe significance of victimization as a public health issue is further supported by its consistent relationships with various psychological and psychosocial problems. It is widely established that victimization can be a traumatic life event, challenging an individual's resources and negatively impacting developmental processes (Kaukinen 2002). A large body of research shows that vict...

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“…For example, neighborhood economic processes, social organization, and violent crime are directly relevant for youth CV exposure. In addition, recent research has identified malleable individual characteristics (e.g., aggressive behavior, deviant peer affiliation, depressive symptoms) that predict CV exposure and may be useful intervention targets [36]. Intervention efforts also should include strategies for dealing with CV exposure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal Associations Between Community Violence Exposure and Suicidality

Lambert¹,

Copeland‐Linder²,

Ialongo³

2008

Journal of Adolescent Health

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Purpose-To examine longitudinal associations between community violence exposure and suicide ideation and attempt, and whether depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior are intervening variables in this association.Methods-Participants were 473 urban and predominantly African American adolescents who completed measures of community violence exposure, depressive symptoms, and suicide ideation and attempt in grades 6, 7, and 8; teachers reported about adolescents' aggressive behaviors in grades 6, 7, and 8. Path analysis was used to examine direct and indirect associations between community violence exposure in grade 6 and suicide ideation and attempt in grade 8. Depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior were examined as part of an indirect path from grade 6 community violence exposure to later suicide ideation and attempt.Results-Results revealed an indirect association between community violence exposure and later suicide ideation for males and females; community violence exposure in grade 6 was associated with depressive symptoms in grade 7, which in turn were positively associated with suicide ideation in grade 8. For males, community violence exposure in grade 6 was associated with increases in aggressive behavior in grade 7, which in turn were associated with suicide attempts in grade 8.Conclusions-Findings suggest indirect pathways between community violence exposure and later suicide ideation and attempt for male and female adolescents. Results highlight the necessity for reducing youth community violence exposure and enhancing strategies for managing the effects of community violence exposure in order to reduce risk for adolescent suicide. Keywords adolescents; African American; community violence; suicide Adolescents are exposed to community violence CV at alarming rates [1,2,3,4,5]. The public health significance of this high prevalence of adolescent CV exposure is magnified given the multiple emotional and behavioral problems associated with CV exposure; these include Address correspondence to: Dr. Sharon Lambert, Department of Psychology, George Washington University, 2125 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052. E-mail: slambert@gwu.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. [5,6,7,8,9]. Recently, there has been increased attention to the co-occurrence of community violence exposure and suicidal behaviors. Overall, studies report increased suicide ideation and attempts among youth exposed to violence. For example, Cleary (2000) found that suicidal behavior (ideation and attempt) and violent behavior were more frequent among youth who had been ...

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Risk Factors for Community Violence Exposure in Adolescence

Cited by 149 publications

References 70 publications

Gender patterns in the contribution of different types of violence to posttraumatic stress symptoms among South African urban youth

Gender patterns in the contribution of different types of violence to posttraumatic stress symptoms among South African urban youth

Victimization Among African-American Adolescents in Substance Abuse Treatment

Longitudinal Associations Between Community Violence Exposure and Suicidality

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