Pathologic adaptation to community violence among inner-city youth

The study tests the thesis of pathologic adaptation for youth exposed to community violence, where high levels of exposure to community violence lead to increased aggressive behavior but decreased psychological distress. Four hundred seventy-one 6th graders and 1 of their parents were interviewed. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAmerican journal of orthopsychiatry Vol. 74; no. 2; p. 196
Main Authors Ng-Mak, Daisy S, Salzinger, Suzanne, Feldman, Richard S, Stueve, C Ann
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.04.2004
Subjects
Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Aggression - psychology
Child Behavior Disorders - psychology
Family - psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Residence Characteristics
Social Environment
Urban Population
Violence - psychology
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Summary:The study tests the thesis of pathologic adaptation for youth exposed to community violence, where high levels of exposure to community violence lead to increased aggressive behavior but decreased psychological distress. Four hundred seventy-one 6th graders and 1 of their parents were interviewed. The results showed, for a small but important subgroup of youth, that high levels of exposure to community violence were associated with more child- and parent-reported aggressive behavior and less child-reported psychological distress. Targeted prevention strategies for these high-risk youth are especially needed.
ISSN:0002-9432
DOI:10.1037/0002-9432.74.2.196