This study examined adults’ protective roles in moderating between youths’ experience of community violence and subsequent physical aggression.
This study of the protective role of adults in moderating relations between youths’ community violence exposure and subsequent physical aggression found that strategies promoting supportive adult relationships may benefit male adolescents by buffering the adverse impact of community violence exposure. Participants were 2575 middle school students (Mage = 12.3, SD = 1.00; 52% female) in the southeastern U.S. who completed surveys collected in the fall, winter, spring, and summer. The sample was predominantly African American (72%). High adult support was associated with weaker relations between exposure to violence in the fall and aggression in the winter among male adolescents. High adult support was related to weaker relations between victimization in the fall and aggression in the winter among female adolescents. (Published Abstract Provided)