[PDF] Exposure To Violence As A Moderator Of The Relation Between Coping Strategies And Outcomes In Low Income Urban Youth eBook
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The current study addresses a paradox in the literature wherein the coping strategies seeming to be most effective for predominantly Caucasian, middle-class, adult samples, sometimes have the opposite effect on low income urban youth. In doing so, exposure to violence is investigated as a moderator of the association between active, behavioral avoidance and cognitive avoidance and internalizing and externalizing outcomes over the short and long term for low income urban youth. Luthar and colleague's (2000) protective-reactive, protective-enhancing, and vulnerable-reactive models are theoretical bases for this hypothesis. The findings are that the association between behavioral avoidance and internalizing symptoms was protective, at low levels of violence and detrimental, at high levels over the short term. It argues methodological issues currently need to be addressed to further inform how to most effectively equip low income urban youth with effective copings strategies that will help them with specific stressors in the context of urban poverty.
Limited research has examined the influence of coping on psychological and behavioral outcomes among urban low-income adolescents, particularly those exposed to violence. This study examined coping strategies, including active, distraction, support-seeking and avoidant coping, as moderators and partial mediators of the relations between exposure to violence and internalizing symptoms (anxiety/depression) and externalizing behaviors (prosocial behavior and aggression). These relations were examined based on data that were collected at the beginning and end of the school year as part of an evaluation of a school-based violence prevention program. Participants were 313 urban, low-income, African American fifth through eight grade students. Exposure to violence was negatively associated with active coping. Active coping was negatively associated with aggression, and avoidant coping was positively associated with anxiety/depression. Prosocial behavior was not associated with coping. The coping strategies did not moderate the relations between exposure to violence and longitudinal outcomes, taking into account initial outcomes; however, there were some significant cross-sectional moderational findings. Specifically, distracting action coping moderated the relation between exposure to violence and anxiety/depression and had a protective-reactive effect on this relation. Direct problem solving coping moderated the relation between exposure to violence and aggression, such that direct problem solving had a protective effect as exposure to violence increased. Structural equation modeling revealed that exposure to violence was positively associated with anxiety/depression, which predicted the use of cognitive coping strategies (cognitive avoidance and seeking understanding), and seeking understanding perpetuated anxiety/depression. In another model, exposure to violence predicted aggression, and avoidant action coping was negatively associated with exposure to violence and aggression. Overall, it appears that avoidant action and direct problem solving coping represent protective factors against aggression for adolescents exposed to violence, whereas seeking understanding and distraction action coping represent risk factors for anxiety/depression. It is likely that the complexity of coping processes may explain why longitudinal analyses that examined coping as a moderator were not significant. Nonetheless, results have implications for prevention/intervention, targeting coping skill development and violence prevention. Further longitudinal study of relations between exposure to violence, coping and outcomes among urban, low-income adolescents is needed.
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence and impact of personal victimization and witnessing violence in the school setting in a sample of low-income, ethnic-minority children. In addition, hope was examined as a potential protective factor in buffing youth from the development of problem behaviors in the context of school-specific violence. It was hypothesized that exposure to school violence would be positively associated with externalizing symptoms. Additionally, it was hypothesized that hope would be positively related to indices of adjustment, and inversely related to problem behaviors. Finally, exploratory questions suggested by extant research were posed further investigating associations between exposure to school violence and adjustment. Additionally, the moderating effects of hope and gender on the linkages between exposure to school violence and psychological and behavioral functioning were examined. Data were derived from a longitudinal primary prevention research project evaluating the impact of a social and emotional learning curriculum. Participants were approximately 161 African-American and Latino fifth graders. Students completed self-reports of self-concept and hope. Teachers completed a teacher-rated survey assessing levels of problem behaviors, social skills, and academic competence for each student in their class. Results indicated that the majority of youth had been personally victimized and witnessed violence on one or more occasion during a three-month period. In addition, exposure to school violence was positively associated with problem behaviors, and negatively associated with social skills, self-concept, and academic competence, most notably for males. Moreover, hope provided a buffering effect on females' self-concept for those witnessing higher levels of school violence. Implications of both the prevalence and impact of exposure to school violence, as well as the limited moderating effects of hope found in the current study are discussed in relation to intervention efforts and strengthening future research sampling low-income, ethnic-minority youth.
An anthology that critically examines the devastating impact of race, class, and gender on the health and health care of African Americans, Latinos and American Indians, with particular focus on children and adolescents. It includes chapters that focus on issues such as: substance abuse, psychological coping, trauma, infant mortality, and racism.
Examine the latest research merging nature and nurture in pathological development Developmental Psychopathology is a four-volume compendium of the most complete and current research on every aspect of the field. Volume Four: Genes and Environment focuses on the interplay between nature and nurture throughout the life stages, and the ways in which a child's environment can influence his or her physical and mental health as an adult. The discussion explores relationships with family, friends, and the community; environmental factors like poverty, violence, and social support; the development of coping mechanisms, and more, including the impact of these factors on physical brain development. This new third edition has been fully updated to incorporate the latest advances, and to better reflect the increasingly multilevel and interdisciplinary nature of the field and the growing importance of translational research. The relevance of classification in a developmental context is also addressed, including DSM-5 criteria and definitions. Advances in developmental psychopathology are occurring increasingly quickly as expanding theoretical and empirical work brings about dramatic gains in the multiple domains of child and adult development. This book brings you up to date on the latest developments surrounding genetics and environmental influence, including their intersection in experience-dependent brain development. Understand the impact of childhood adversity on adulthood health Gauge the effects of violence, poverty, interparental conflict, and more Learn how peer, family, and community relationships drive development Examine developments in prevention science and future research priorities Developmental psychopathology is necessarily interdisciplinary, as development arises from a dynamic interplay between psychological, genetic, social, cognitive, emotional, and cultural factors. Developmental Psychopathology Volume Four: Genes and Environment brings this diverse research together to give you a cohesive picture of the state of knowledge in the field.
Children and adolescents are exposed to family and community violence at high rates, and poly victimization is common. Further study is needed to assess the unique and additive effects of witnessing or directly experiencing violence in multiple contexts on psychopathology in urban youth of color. Additionally, analyzing the role of protective factors, such as social skills, in moderating the relation between violence exposure and psychopathology may aid in identifying unique and shared pathways by which different forms of interpersonal violence may impact mental health outcomes. This study sought to examine whether social skills (cooperation and assertion) moderated the relation between exposure to family and community violence and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of 116 youth (ages 5-17) and their caregivers. A community sample was recruited for a study evaluating the effectiveness of a trauma-specific cognitive behavioral therapy for family violence for Black and Latino families. Participants completed self-report and parent-report questionnaires assessing demographic information, history of violence exposure, social skills, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that social skills moderated the effects of violence exposure on psychopathology such that youth with a history of exposure to community violence and high assertion were more likely to endorse higher levels of externalizing symptoms compared with community violence-exposed youth with moderate or low assertion scores or youth with no history of community violence. Additionally, a significant positive association between family violence exposure and internalizing symptoms was found. The implications of the unique and additive effects of family and community exposure on psychopathology in youth, as well as the role of social skills as a protective factor, are discussed.
Intro: The transition from childhood to adolescence is a period of increased risk for psychological problems (e.g. Keiley, & Martin, 2002). Exposure to community violence, may impact the degree to which psychological problems emerge during adolescence (Grant et al., 2004). Previous research also indicates that low-income urban youth are disproportionately exposed to severe community violence, leaving them at higher risk to experience psychopathology (Grant et al., 2004). However, recent longitudinal research suggests that this elevated risk may decline throughout the adolescent years (Murphy et al., 2000) especially for internalizing problems (J. Twenge & S. Nolen-Hoeksema, 2002). The current research hypothesizes that youth that are exposed to high rates of severe community violence that increase with age, may view internalizing behaviors leaving them vulnerable to further victimization (Guerra et al., 2003, Ng-Mak et al., 2002). To protect themselves, youth most exposed may avoid expressing internalizing distress, instead becoming more likely to externalize. Methods: The current study used multi-group growth curve models to examine the trajectories of internalizing problems and externalizing problems, respectively, comparing low-income urban youth in high and low exposure to violence groups. Symptoms were measured using broadband scales of psychopathology from Achenbach's Youth Self-Report and Child Behavioral Checklist (2001). Exposure to Community Violence was measured using Exposure to Violence Survey--Screening Version (Martinez & Richters, 1993). Results & Discussion: Results support the extant literature that indicates that low-income urban youth are at heightened risk for psychological problems. At wave 1, youth in our sample were more than twice as likely to report internalizing problems (33%) in the clinical range, compared to normative youth (16%). Risk of exhibiting externalizing behaviors was also elevated, with 20% of the sample scoring in the clinical range. Exposure to community violence, in particular, was also supported as a risk factor for psychological problems, as the high group demonstrated more of both types of psychopathology than the low group (as demonstrated by significant differences in intercept in the growth model). Comparison of trajectories (slopes) indicated that both internalizing and externalizing problems declined over time, a finding that was only partially supportive of our hypothesis. Additionally, negative trajectories for both outcomes were found in both the low and high exposure to violence groups, although the decline in internalizing problems was of greater magnitude for the high exposure to violence group, compared to the low group. No between-group differences in slope were found for externalizing problems. Results provide some support for the theory that youth that are exposed to rates of severe community violence that increase with age may avoid expressions of internalizing problems. However, clear support was not found for the hypothesis that these youth turn to externalizing behaviors as an alternative way of expressing psychological distress. Alternative hypotheses and explanations for our findings are discussed. Robust differences in findings were also found by reporter and are discussed.