Early Exposure to Community-Level Violence and Adolescent Neurobehavioral Outcomes

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

A growing body of research has examined the collateral consequences of exposure to violence. While rates of youth violent victimization remain low compared to other age groups, the majority of youth will be secondarily exposed to less severe, yet pervasive forms of violence during their lifetimes. The current study aimed to examine the association between exposure to community-level violence and adolescent cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Using longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), I conducted a series of multiple regression analyses to assess prior exposure to violence as a potential moderator in the development of internalizing behaviors at age fifteen through the effects of community violence exposure. The study found a statistically significant association between exposure to violence at Year 9 and internalizing behaviors at Year 15. The moderating effect of prior exposure to violence at Year 3 and Year 5 was not significant. These findings suggest that violence exposure adversely impacts subsequent youth neurobehavioral outcomes, however, those with prior histories of violence exposure are no more likely to develop internalizing symptoms than those solely exposed to violence at age 9. Analytic results will be interpreted in light of ecological theories on desensitization to violence.

Author

• Rachel Elizabeth Colello, University of California, Irvine