The association of ecological variables and psychological distress with exposure to community violence among adolescents

Ecological theory suggests that exposure to community violence should be related to individual, family, and community characteristics; traumatic stress theory suggests that exposure to community violence should be related to level of psychological distress. A correlational study of 468 older adolesc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Adolescence 2003-09, Vol.38 (151), p.459-479
Main Authors: SPENCINER ROSENTHAL, Beth, WILSON, W. Cody
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Chronic Disease
College Students
Community
Community violence
Correlational studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Ecological aspects
Exposure
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Individualized Instruction
Male
Medical sciences
New York City
New York City - epidemiology
New York City, New York
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Psychological Distress
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Residence Characteristics
Risk Factors
Social Environment
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Sociocultural environment
Sociodemographic Factors
Stress
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - prevention & control
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Stress, Psychological - complications
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Stress, Psychological - prevention & control
Teenagers
Urban Crime
Urban Population - statistics & numerical data
USA
Violence
Violence - prevention & control
Violence - psychology
Violence - statistics & numerical data
Young people
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Summary:Ecological theory suggests that exposure to community violence should be related to individual, family, and community characteristics; traumatic stress theory suggests that exposure to community violence should be related to level of psychological distress. A correlational study of 468 older adolescents in New York City tested these hypotheses. Exposure was found to be moderately related to level of psychological distress, but was not related to family or neighborhood characteristics. It was concluded that the nature of exposure to community violence poses difficulties for interventions aimed at either prevention or amelioration of effects.
ISSN:0001-8449