Effects of community violence on inner-city preschoolers and their families

The current study examined the extent to which preschoolers and their families are exposed to neighborhood violence, and it explored the possible impact of this exposure on young children. Mothers were interviewed about their family demography, exposure to violence, conflict in the home, and their c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of applied developmental psychology Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 143 - 158
Main Authors Farver, Jo Ann M., Natera, Lucia X., Frosch, Dominick L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Norwood, NJ Elsevier Inc 1999
Elsevier
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child development
Developmental psychology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Human
Preschool age
Social environment
Peer relation
Violence
Cognition
Exposure
Social development
Social interaction
Neighbourhood
Family environment
Social aptitude
Cognitive development
Child
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Summary:The current study examined the extent to which preschoolers and their families are exposed to neighborhood violence, and it explored the possible impact of this exposure on young children. Mothers were interviewed about their family demography, exposure to violence, conflict in the home, and their children's distress symptoms. Children were observed during free play with peers and were given a cognitive assessment. Teachers rated children's social competence with peers. Results of path analyses suggested a link between families' exposure to community violence and a reduction in children's positive peer interaction and cognitive performance. The findings suggest that even very young children may not be “immune” to the effects of neighborhood violence.
ISSN:0193-3973
1873-7900
DOI:10.1016/S0193-3973(99)80008-2