Citation

Salzinger S, Rosario M, Feldman RS, Ng-Mak DS. J. Res. Adolesc. 2011; 21(2): 395-407.

Affiliation

Drs. Salzinger and Feldman are with New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University; Dr. Rosario is with the City University of New York - City College and Graduate Center; Dr. Ng-Mak is with Merck Pharmaceuticals and formerly with Columbia University School of Public Health. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Suzanne Salzinger, NYSPI, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 56, New York, NY 10032.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00677.x

PMID

21643493

PMCID

PMC3106414

Abstract

This study examines processes linking inner-city community violence exposure to subsequent internalizing and externalizing problems. Hypothesized risk and protective factors from three ecological domains -- children's parent and peer relationships and individual characteristics -- were examined for mediating, moderating or independent roles in predicting problem behavior among 667 children over three years of middle school. Mediation was not found. However, parent and peer variables moderated the association between exposure and internalizing problems. Under high exposure, normally protective factors (e.g., attachment to parents) were less effective in mitigating exposure's effects than under low exposure; attachment to friends was more effective. Individual competence was independently associated with decreased internalizing problems. Variables from all domains, and exposure, were independently associated with externalizing problems. Protective factors (e.g., parent attachment) predicted decreased problems; risk factors (e.g., friends' delinquency) predicted increased problems. Results indicate community violence reduction as essential in averting inner-city adolescents' poor behavioral outcomes.

Language: en