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

• NCJ Number: 224896
• Journal: Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 141-155
• Author(s): Cristina S. Barroso; Ronald J. Peters Jr.; Steve Kelder; Jennifer Conroy; Nancy Murray; Pamela Orpinas
• Date Published: October 2008
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): U81/CCU609953-02; U48CCU609653
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health & Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the association between exposure to community violence and aggression, victimization, and risk-taking behaviors among young adolescents.

Abstract

Results from the study indicate that students’ exposure to violence in the community is common and support the hypothesis that among urban, ethnically diverse adolescents, witnessing community violence is associated with engagement in aggressive and other risk behaviors. The overall results indicate a strong association between young adolescents’ exposure to violence and engagement in risk behaviors warranting further examination. Violence in the United States occurs in epidemic proportions compared to other countries. Recently the attention of researchers has turned to environmental factors, specifically youth’s exposure to violence, as a predictor of aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between exposure to community violence and victimization and perpetration of violence-related behaviors among a large, ethnically diverse sample of inner-city middle school youth. Figures, table, and references