The role of exposure to community violence and developmental problems among inner-city youth
Abstract
While research has well documented that urban youth are exposed to increasing rates of community violence, little is known about what increases risk for violence exposure, what protects children from exposure to violence, and what factors reduce the most negative outcomes associated with witnessing violence. This study expands on current research by evaluating the relations between exposure to violence, family relationship characteristics and parenting practices, and aggression and depression symptoms. Data were drawn from a sample of 245 African-American and Latino boys and their caregivers from economically disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods in Chicago. Rates of exposure could not be predicted from family relationship and parenting characteristics, although there was a trend for discipline to be related. Exposure to community violence was related to increases in aggressive behavior and depression over a 1-year period even after controlling for previous status. Future studies should continue to evaluate the role of exposure to violence on the development of youth among different neighborhoods and communities. Implications for intervention and policy are discussed.
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Aggression in this setting exposes other vulnerable youth to "ambient stress" which adds to the cumulative developmental risk they already face.
“Finally, aggression in this setting exposes other vulnerable youth to “ambient stress” which adds to the cumulative developmental risk they already face (Evans 2003; Gorman-Smith and Tolan 1998).”
From Intervening at the Setting Level to Prevent Behavioral Incidents in Residential Child Care: Efficacy of the CARE Program Model (2016) · cites this paper as Gorman-Smith and Tolan 1998
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- Authors
- GORMAN–SMITH, D., & TOLAN, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- ORCID
- TOLAN, PATRICK
- Venue
- Development and Psychopathology
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1998-03
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 101-116
- ISSN
- 0954-5794 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-2198
- OpenAlex
- W2087950433
- Cited by
- 859
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 44 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 39
- FWCI
- 76.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Development and Psychopathology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH048248)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- community violence exposure, witnessing violence, inner-city youth, aggression, depression, parenting practices, family relationships, discipline, African American boys, Latino boys, protective factors, developmental outcomes
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Aggression, Anxiety, Black or African American, Depression, Follow-Up Studies, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Juvenile Delinquency, Life Change Events, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Psychosocial Deprivation, Risk Factors, Social Environment, Urban Population, Violence, Parenting
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