Impact of exposure to community violence on violent behavior and emotional distress among urban adolescents

Abstract

Examined the effects of witnessing community violence on emotional distress and frequency of violent behavior across three time points within a predominantly African American sample of 436 sixth-grade students in an urban public school system. A high percentage of students, particularly boys, reported witnessing a variety of violent incidents (e.g., shootings, beatings, and stabbings). Comparison of structural equation models revealed a number of significant gender differences in the effects of exposure to violence and in the measurement of violent behavior. Exposure to violence was related to subsequent changes in the frequency of violent behavior among girls, but not among boys. Exposure to violence was not related to subsequent changes in emotional distress for either boys or girls. Cross-sectional results replicated previous studies that have found relations between exposure to violence and frequency of violent behavior; however neither variable was related to emotional distress.