Examining the Moderating Role of Family Cohesion on the Relationship Between Witnessed Community Violence and Delinquency in a National Sample of Adolescents

• Published in: Journal of interpersonal violence Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 239 - 262
• Main Authors: Barr, Simone C., Hanson, Rochelle, Begle, Angela M., Kilpatrick, Dean G., Saunders, Benjamin, Resnick, Heidi, Amstadter, Ananda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2012; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Behavior Problems; Child; Community; Delinquency; Demographics; Environmental Influences; Families & family life; Family - psychology; Family Influence; Family Relations; Family Relationship; Family Roles; Family Violence; Female; Gender Differences; Humans; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Juvenile Delinquency; Juvenile Delinquency - ethnology; Juvenile Delinquency - psychology; Juvenile Delinquency - statistics & numerical data; Logistic Models; Male; Prediction; Predictor Variables; Racial Differences; Residence Characteristics; Resilience (Psychology); Sex; Sociodemographic Factors; Teenagers; United States; Violence; Violence - psychology; Violence - statistics & numerical data; United States; community violence; violence exposure; child abuse; family issues and mediators
• ISSN: 0886-2605; 1552-6518
• DOI: 10.1177/0886260511416477

Witnessed community violence has been linked to a number of internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents. Guided by Cicchetti and Lynch’s (1993) ecological-transactional model, this study aimed to examine the impact that family-level factors had on negative outcomes associated with witnessed community violence. Using a nationally representative sample, we explored the moderational role of family cohesion in the relationship between witnessing community violence and delinquent behavior while taking demographic variables into account. Results from the investigation suggested that low levels of family cohesion were predictive of delinquency after controlling for race, gender, past delinquency, and direct trauma. In addition, the findings suggested that family cohesion moderated the impact of witnessed community violence on future delinquent behavior. Future directions for research and implications for practice were also discussed.