Youth Exposure to Community Violence: Association with Aggression, Victimization, and Risk Behaviors

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between exposure to community violence and aggression, victimization, and risk-taking behaviors among young adolescents. Secondary analysis was conducted on data from a cross-sectional survey of 8,259 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of aggression, maltreatment & trauma maltreatment & trauma, 2008-09, Vol.17 (2), p.141-155
Main Authors: Barroso, Cristina S., Peters, Ronald J., Kelder, Steve, Conroy, Jennifer, Murray, Nancy, Orpinas, Pamela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adolescent
Adolescents
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Aggression
Biological and medical sciences
Communities
community
crime victims
Medical sciences
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Risk
Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Sociocultural environment
Students for Peace
Victimization
Violence
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The purpose of this study was to examine the association between exposure to community violence and aggression, victimization, and risk-taking behaviors among young adolescents. Secondary analysis was conducted on data from a cross-sectional survey of 8,259 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from eight urban schools in Texas. Results indicated that students exposed to a high level of community violence were 7.7 times more likely to carry a handgun, 5.2 times more likely to be involved in a gang were 6.4 times more likely to use marijuana, 5.3 times more likely to binge drink, and 2.8 times more likely to be injured as a result of fighting. This suggests the need for an interdisciplinary approach to violence prevention that targets all the environments of youth, including schools, homes, neighborhoods, and other community units.
ISSN:1092-6771
1545-083X
DOI:10.1080/10926770802374916