Poster #199 - Stigmatization of Exposure to Violence: An Intersectional Evaluation of Social Network Loss in Adolescence

• In Event: ASC Poster Session II

Abstract

Exposure to violence—witnessing or experiencing a physical assault--is a common occurrence in adolescents, affecting 42% of 6-17 year olds in the United States annually (Finkelhor et al., 2015). Exposure to violence has been connected in a novel area of research to a retraction of popularity within social networks (i.e. indegree), with larger negatives effects for females, net of prior period popularity and depression (Tomlinson, 2021; Wallace, 2017). Combining Stigma Theory and Intersectionality Theory within the U.S.’s racialized social system, I test if social support loss is larger for historically minoritized/dominated identities. Using Wave I and II Add Health in-school social networks (N=1,931) with Mixed-Effects Poisson analysis, stratified by race/ethnicity and sex, I find that Non-Hispanic Black women and Hispanic (any race) women experienced a 20% and 16% reduction in in-degree nominations the year following an exposure to violence. Null results for all race/ethnicity men and White women suggest minoritized adolescent females receive less social support after exposure to violence with concerns for disparities in future adult health and wellbeing.

Author

• Erin Wright, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill