Association and disparities of food insecurity and exposure to violence: analysis of the National Survey of Children's Health.

CONTEXT: Lack of access to food is a significant concern for child well-being, and it creates many health disparities and adverse social outcomes. Food insecurity and its many associated risk factors increase parental stress, which are strongly correlated with an increased risk of child abuse and maltreatment. Research now identifies being witness to domestic abuse as a form of child maltreatment, and exposure to violence in the community has been shown to result in similar long-term impacts. OBJECTIVES: Given the potential for lifelong adverse effects from experiencing adverse childhood events involving violence and food insecurity, our primary objective was to assess the relationship between the two and disparities among demographic factors. METHODS: We conducted an observational study utilizing data from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) 2016-2021. The NSCH is a United States nationally representative survey completed by primary caregivers of one child per home aged 0-17 years. We determined population estimates (n=216,799; n=83,424,126) and rates of children experiencing food insecurity and parent-reported exposure to violence. We then constructed logistic regression models to assess associations, through odds ratios (ORs), between food security and exposure to violence including demographic factors. RESULTS: Among the sample, 5.42 % of children experienced low food security and 7.4 % were exposed to violence. The odds of exposure to violence are 5.19 times greater for children with low food security compared to food-secure children (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 4.48-6.02). Indigenous and Black children were 7.8 and 6.81 times more likely to experience or witness violence when food insecure compared to food secure White children, respectively (95 % CI: 3.18-19.13, 5.24-8.86 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity was associated with increased odds of children experiencing and/or witnessing violence compared to those who were food secure. The interaction between exposure to violence and food insecurity also disproportionately impacts children with specific demographic factors, notably race/ethnicity including multiracial, Indigenous, and Black children. By developing and adapting strategies to improve food security, it is possible to indirectly reduce the rates of childhood exposure to violence and the long-term impacts that result.

Posttraumatic Distress and Treatment Barriers Among Former Gang Members: Implications for Improving Access to Traumatic Stress Resources in Marginalized Populations.

Limited research has examined the links among violent victimization, mental health, and service utilization among gang-involved individuals. This mixed-methods preliminary study examined narratives of psychiatric distress, current psychiatric morbidity, and mental health treatment experiences among a sample of former gang members (N = 32; M age = 44.4 years, 87.5% male; 56.3% Hispanic or Latino, 31.3% African American). Participants completed online questionnaires to assess trauma exposure and current psychiatric symptoms as well as a semistructured interview to examine histories of psychiatric distress and mental health treatment. Participants reported exposure to an average of 10.2 discrete traumatic events (range: 3-21). On average, participants reported exposure to five to six community violence-related events, ranging from never or one time up to monthly and weekly exposure. Participants generally described histories of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse, although a thematic analysis revealed PTSD symptoms predominated the psychiatric distress described, including symptoms related to intrusions, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal. Grounded theory analysis revealed barriers to traditional models of mental health treatment included self-isolation, gang rules, and social stigma, especially in the context of interpersonal disconnect with providers. Given conditions of limited resources to access treatment, participants engaged in peer support services, which may have reduced their psychiatric distress to currently low levels. Implications for understanding these notable findings of recovery and resilience for some individuals and building trauma-informed communities that improve access to traumatic stress resources for marginalized populations are discussed.

Trends in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the United States.

BACKGROUND: It is important for those called upon to discuss major social determinants of health such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to have accurate knowledge about generational trends in their prevalence. OBJECTIVE: To review available trend data on major forms of ACEs. METHODS: A search of academic data bases was conducted by combining the term "trend" with a variety of terms referring to childhood adversities. RESULTS: Available trend data on ACEs from the 20th century show multi-decade declines in parental death, parental illness, sibling death, and poverty, but multi-decade increases in parental divorce, parental drug abuse and parental incarceration. More recent trend data on ACEs for the first fifteen to eighteen years of the 21st century show declines in parental illness, sibling death, exposure to domestic violence, childhood poverty, parental divorce, serious childhood illness, physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical and emotional bullying and exposure to community violence. Two 21st century ACE increases were for parental alcohol and drug abuse. Overall, there appear to have been more historical and recent improvements in ACEs than deteriorations. But the US still lags conspicuously behind other developed countries on many of these indicators. CONCLUSION: Awareness of improvements, as well as persistent challenges, are important to motivate policy makers and practitioners and to prompt them to recognize the feasibility of success in the prevention of ACEs.

Data-informed recommendations for services providers working with vulnerable children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated response measures have led to unprecedented challenges for service providers working with vulnerable children and families around the world. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present study was to better understand the impact of the pandemic and associated response measures on vulnerable children and families and provide data-informed recommendations for public and private service providers working with this population. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Representatives from 87 non-government organizations (NGOs) providing a variety of direct services (i.e. residential care, family preservation, foster care, etc.) to 454,637 vulnerable children and families in 43 countries completed a brief online survey. METHODS: Using a mixed methods design, results examined 1) ways in which children and families have been directly impacted by COVID-19, 2) the impact of the pandemic on services provided by NGOs, 3) government responses and gaps in services for this population during the pandemic, and 4) strategies that have been effective in filling these gaps. RESULTS: Data revealed that the pandemic and restrictive measures were associated with increased risk factors for vulnerable children and families, including not having access to vital services. The NGOs experienced government restrictions, decreased financial support, and inability to adequately provide services. Increased communication and supportive activities had a positive impact on both NGO staff and the families they serve. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings, ten recommendations were made for service providers working with vulnerable children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exposure to Community and Family violence and self-rated health in the Brazilian population. / Exposição à violência comunitária e familiar e autoavaliação de saúde na população brasileira.

INTRODUCTION: The isolated negative impacts of community violence and family violence on individuals' self-rated health (SRH) are known, but there is little evidence on the combined effect of these two types of interpersonal violence. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between exposure to community violence/by strangers and family violence/by acquaintances and negative SRH, distinguishing the type of violence suffered and also considering its cumulative exposure. METHODS: Epidemiological cross-sectional study developed with data from the National Health Survey (PNS) 2013. Crude multinominal logistic regression models were performed and adjusted to test the association of variables. RESULTS: All types of violence analyzed were associated with negative SRH. Isolated community/unknown interpersonal violence was associated with SRH as regular (odds ratio - OR = 1.38) and bad (OR = 1.79). Exposure to family violence/by acquaintances was associated with regular (OR = 1.52) and bad (OR = 2.70) self-assessment. Concomitant exposure to the two types of violence was associated with regular (OR = 4.00) and bad (OR = 7.81) health assessments, with this association being of greater magnitude than those for isolated violence. CONCLUSION: The cumulative effect of exposure to family/known and community/unknown violence enhances the negative assessment of health status. Health professionals must be aware of the multivitaminization and its impact on the health of victims who access health services.

Violence exposure and young people's vulnerability, mental and physical health.

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the impact of being affected by domestic and/or relationship violence in early adolescence on indicators of health and well-being. METHODS: Secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional survey of 13-14 year-old pupils attending schools in north-west England, with variables relating to vulnerability, violence and mental and physical health, was performed. The sample of 9626 represented 71% of the eligible population. Chi-squared tests and logistic regression were used to analyse demographic exposure to violence and outcomes. RESULTS: Pupils affected by domestic and/or relationship violence had significantly worse outcomes and experiences than non-affected peers. Odds ratios demonstrated higher risks of being lonely, being bullied or having deliberately self-harmed. They were also more likely to report an enduring health condition, poorer health practices and worse access to and experiences of health services. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to violence in domestic and/or relationships is detrimental to children and young people's mental and physical health and vulnerability. Health risks and inequalities reported by CYP in this study provide compelling intelligence for renewed strategic policy-level consideration in the design and delivery of young peoples' health services.

Unmet health care needs among children of mothers exposed to violence.

BACKGROUND: Existing literature shows that maternal exposure to violence has negative consequences on the health and behavioral outcomes of their children, but how it affects unmet child healthcare needs is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To examine associations between maternal violence exposure and unmet child healthcare needs in vulnerable families. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We used data from the third and fifth years of Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort study of urban children born between 1998 and 2000 n = 2848. METHODS: Mothers completed a self-reported questionnaire or interview. Maternal violence exposure was measured through direct (victim) and indirect (witness) exposure. Unmet child healthcare needs was operationalized through: not having seen a doctor when needed, not having a well-child visit in the past year, and never had a dental check-up. RESULTS: In adjusted logistic regression models, children of mothers who were victims of violence were more likely to not have seen a doctor when needed (odds ratio = 3.36, p < 0.01), not have a well-child visit in the past year (odds ratio = 2.50, p < 0.01), and never have a dental check-up (odds ratio = 1.54, p < 0.01). There was no association between maternal witnessing violence and unmet child healthcare needs. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of urban children, having a mother who was a victim of violence was associated with unmet healthcare needs. These findings underscore the need to invest in efforts to reduce the prevalence of violence. Such efforts would reduce unmet child healthcare needs in vulnerable families.

Suicide Attempts among Those with Migraine: Findings from a Nationally Representative Canadian Study.

The objectives of this study were to identify the gender-specific prevalence of suicide attempts among those with migraine and to examine what factors are associated with suicide attempts among migraineurs. This study was a nationally representative analysis of the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health (CCHS-MH) with 21,744 respondents, of whom 2,223 had migraine. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Those with migraine had a much higher prevalence of ever attempting suicide than those without migraine (men: 7.5% vs 1.9%; women; 9.3% vs 2.7%, p < .001). Among migraineurs, the odds of suicide attempts were higher among poorer respondents, those in chronic pain and those with a history of childhood adversities, substance dependence and/or mental illness. Targeted outreach is needed to reduce suicidality in this vulnerable population.

América Latina: una historia de violencia heredada. Revisión bibliográfica / Latin America: history of inherited violence.Reviewpaper

Introducción:América Latina a cinco décadas de seguir las políticas económicas y fiscales del Fondo Monetario Internacional y del Banco Mundial, que la llevarían al crecimiento y desarrollo y en lasque los Estados-gobiernos se centraron paraconstruir la democracia,sin tener el efecto deseado, al contrario,la región está viviendo en la violencia más profunda y creciente, sumado al reto delaCOVID-19. Objetivo:Conocer las causas que originaron esta situación, que afecta a la población vulnerable, que sufre la violencia en varios entornos y con efectos diversos. Metodología:Cualitativa (1970-2020); en lo histórico, económico, social, de desarrollo, de crecimiento y bienestar en la región, siguiendo los postulados de Amartya Sen del año 2000 con relación al ejerciciode las libertades de la población y su bienestar. Se prefirieron las revisiones, estados del arte, estudios y análisis. Resultados:Se encontró que el modelo económico colapsó desde 1980 pues fundamentó su base económica solo en los recursos naturales. Continuó la dependencia externa. Las políticas económicas, fiscales y asistenciales tampoco fueron efectivas. La población se quedó sin educación y empleo, generando migración creciente, pobreza extrema y vulnerabilidad. Centroamérica esla zona más golpeadaya que sus habitantes son mayoritariamente rurales e indígenas. Actualmente se sigue el mismo modelo. Regresó la violencia de las fuerzas policiales y esta se detonó también en la población como mecanismo de defensa y sobrevivencia. Conclusiones:Los hallazgos demuestran el fracaso del modelo;las políticas nunca consideraron la capacidad contributiva real, ni las demandas de educación, empleo, seguridad y bienestar. Finalmente, los efectos de la pandemia en la región, corroboran lo endeble del sistema de salud, la fragilidad de las economías y a nivel social, el inminente incremento de población vulnerablecon futuro incierto...(AU)

Exposição à violência comunitária e familiar e autoavaliação de saúde na população brasileira / Exposure to Community and Family violence and self-rated health in the Brazilian population

RESUMO: Introdução: Os impactos negativos isolados da violência comunitária e da violência familiar na autoavaliação de saúde (AAS) dos indivíduos são conhecidos, mas existe pouca evidência sobre o efeito combinado desses dois tipos de violência interpessoal. Objetivo: Analisar a associação entre a exposição à violência comunitária/por desconhecidos e à violência familiar/por conhecidos e a AAS negativa, distinguindo o tipo de violência sofrido e também considerando sua exposição cumulativa. Métodos: Estudo epidemiológico de corte transversal desenvolvido com os dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (PNS) 2013. Foram realizados modelos de regressão logística multinominal brutos e ajustados para teste de associação das variáveis. Resultados: Todos os tipos de violência analisados se associaram à AAS negativa. A violência interpessoal comunitária/por desconhecidos isolada esteve associada à AAS como regular (odds ratio - OR=1,38) e ruim (OR = 1,79). A exposição à violência familiar/por conhecidos mostrou-se associada à autoavaliação regular (OR = 1,52) e ruim (OR = 2,70). A exposição concomitante às duas violências mostrou-se associada à avaliação regular (OR = 4,00) e ruim da saúde (OR = 7,81), sendo essa associação de maior magnitude que aquelas para as violências isoladas. Conclusão: O efeito cumulativo da exposição à violência familiar/por conhecido e comunitária/por desconhecido potencializa a avaliação negativa do estado de saúde. Os profissionais de saúde devem estar atentos à polivitimização e ao seu impacto na saúde de vítimas que acessam os serviços de saúde.

ABSTRACT: Introduction: The isolated negative impacts of community violence and family violence on individuals' self-rated health (SRH) are known, but there is little evidence on the combined effect of these two types of interpersonal violence. Objective: To analyze the association between exposure to community violence/by strangers and family violence/by acquaintances and negative SRH, distinguishing the type of violence suffered and also considering its cumulative exposure. Methods: Epidemiological cross-sectional study developed with data from the National Health Survey (PNS) 2013. Crude multinominal logistic regression models were performed and adjusted to test the association of variables. Results: All types of violence analyzed were associated with negative SRH. Isolated community/unknown interpersonal violence was associated with SRH as regular (odds ratio - OR = 1.38) and bad (OR = 1.79). Exposure to family violence/by acquaintances was associated with regular (OR = 1.52) and bad (OR = 2.70) self-assessment. Concomitant exposure to the two types of violence was associated with regular (OR = 4.00) and bad (OR = 7.81) health assessments, with this association being of greater magnitude than those for isolated violence. Conclusion: The cumulative effect of exposure to family/known and community/unknown violence enhances the negative assessment of health status. Health professionals must be aware of the multivitaminization and its impact on the health of victims who access health services.

Mitigating Negative Consequences Of Community Violence Exposure: Perspectives From African American Youth.

The burden of community violence on young African Americans includes disproportionate rates of physical and mental health consequences. To develop appropriate and sustainable interventions that mitigate the negative consequences after violence exposure, it is critical to incorporate the lived experiences and perspectives of African American youth. We conducted five focus groups that collectively included thirty-nine African American youth living in income-disadvantaged urban neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri, to examine their experiences and perceptions of community violence and identify priorities to reduce the negative consequences of community violence. Youth-identified priorities included increasing proactive responses from multiple community sectors; reducing racial discrimination; and creating safe environments, including access to mental health care and other supportive services. Incorporating these findings into current policy and cross-sector initiatives offers a promising opportunity to improve the health and well-being of African American youth exposed to community violence.

PTSD as a consequence of past conflict experience, recent exposure to violence and economic marginalization in post-conflict contexts: A study from Nepal, Guatemala and Northern Ireland.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to war and conflict increases the risk of mental health problems. Poor living conditions are known to negatively impact mental health. HYPOTHESIS: It is hypothesized that exposure to negative events after armed conflict interacts with past negative experiences, socioeconomic factors and current mental health problems. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in three contexts of previous internal armed conflict: Nepal, Guatemala and Northern Ireland. Three nationally representative samples were drawn, comprising a net sample of 3,229 respondents. RESULTS: Both recent negative events and past negative events linked to the previous conflicts were found to be associated with elevated risk of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Economic marginalization and urban residency also contributed to current risk of PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the study hypothesis that both past and recent negative events in combination with economic marginalization contribute to explain current risk of PTSD. It is necessary both to improve living conditions more broadly and to establish and develop health services that have the capacity to screen, prevent and treat mental health problems also in poor contexts, in particular against a background of previous armed conflict.

Relationship Between Impulsivity and Clinical and Sociodemographic Variables Among Lebanese Patients With Bipolar Disorder: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study.

Impulsivity is a psychiatric symptom that seems to be more prevalent in some mental disorders such as bipolar disorders (BDs). It is a trait that seems to be influenced by many clinical and sociodemographic variables across BD. To examine the relationship between impulsivity and these variables, we performed a cross-sectional study on 50 patients diagnosed with BD and 50 healthy subjects. Both groups were administered the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; the Structural Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, for borderline personality disorder; the Beirut District Scale; and the Athens Insomnia Scale to assess impulsivity, borderline personality disorder, psychological distress, and sleep disturbances, respectively. A significantly higher nonplanning impulsivity (p = 0.001), motor impulsivity (p < 0.0001), total impulsivity (p < 0.0001), body mass index (p < 0.0001), and insomnia (p = 0.002) were found in subjects with BDs compared with healthy ones. Exposure to violence (odds ratio [OR] = 7.63), the loss of a parent (OR = 3.83), being a current smoker (OR = 14.56), and a higher motor impulsivity score (OR = 1.27) were all significantly associated with the presence of BD. Impulsivity was shown to be strongly associated with the presence of a diagnosis of BD, and further studies are warranted to fully characterize it through the course of the illness.

Does cyberbullying occur simultaneously with other types of violence exposure?

Objective: Our study aimed to verify whether cyberbullying victimization among adolescents occurs concomitantly with other forms of violence exposure (at home, at school and in the community). Methods: A collaborative longitudinal study by Norwegian and Brazilian researchers was conducted in Itaboraí, a low-income city in southeast Brazil. At baseline, trained interviewers applied a semi-structured questionnaire to a population-based sample of 669 in-school adolescents (11-15 years old). The investigated types of violence exposure included cyberbullying, traditional bullying, severe physical punishment by parents and community violence (victimization and eye-witnessed violent events outside the home and school). Results: In the previous six months, 1.9% of the adolescents had been victims of cyberbullying, and 21.9% had been victims of physical aggression, verbal harassment and/or social manipulation by peers. However, only 5.5% of the adolescents considered themselves bullying victims. In the previous 12 months, 12.4% of adolescents had suffered severe physical punishment, 14.0% had been victims of community violence, and 20.9% eye-witnessed community violence. Multivariable regression analysis showed that victimization by multiple types of traditional bullying and self-perceived bullying victimization were correlates of cyberbullying victimization, while suffering violence at home and in the community were not. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of an association between cyberbullying, traditional bullying and self-perceived bullying among low-income Brazilian adolescents.

Does cyberbullying occur simultaneously with other types of violence exposure?

OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to verify whether cyberbullying victimization among adolescents occurs concomitantly with other forms of violence exposure (at home, at school and in the community). METHODS: A collaborative longitudinal study by Norwegian and Brazilian researchers was conducted in Itaboraí, a low-income city in southeast Brazil. At baseline, trained interviewers applied a semi-structured questionnaire to a population-based sample of 669 in-school adolescents (11-15 years old). The investigated types of violence exposure included cyberbullying, traditional bullying, severe physical punishment by parents and community violence (victimization and eye-witnessed violent events outside the home and school). RESULTS: In the previous six months, 1.9% of the adolescents had been victims of cyberbullying, and 21.9% had been victims of physical aggression, verbal harassment and/or social manipulation by peers. However, only 5.5% of the adolescents considered themselves bullying victims. In the previous 12 months, 12.4% of adolescents had suffered severe physical punishment, 14.0% had been victims of community violence, and 20.9% eye-witnessed community violence. Multivariable regression analysis showed that victimization by multiple types of traditional bullying and self-perceived bullying victimization were correlates of cyberbullying victimization, while suffering violence at home and in the community were not. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of an association between cyberbullying, traditional bullying and self-perceived bullying among low-income Brazilian adolescents.

Parallel-process trajectories of exposure to violence and psychological distress among justice-involved youth.

BACKGROUND: Researchers have raised awareness of high levels of violence exposure among justice-involved adolescents and its association with psychological distress, yet the relationship between the violence and psychological distress has rarely been studied longitudinally. AIM: This study aimed to gain understanding of the relationship between long-term exposure to violence and the development of psychological distress among justice-involved adolescents. METHODS: We examined exposure to violence and emergent psychological distress among adolescents using latent growth model analyses with a sample of 1,336 young people-male and female-who completed 10 follow-up interviews over 7 years as part of the Pathways to Desistance study. We tested four models: (a) changes in exposure to violence over time, (b) changes in psychological distress over time, (c) the contemporaneous, parallel processes of changes in exposure to violence and psychological distress over time, and (d) differences in the evolution of violence exposure and psychological distress across sex and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: For the sample as a whole, exposure to violence decreased over time, as did psychological distress, but their relationship to each other was consistent. There were individual differences, however, and the subgroup of young African Americans did not experience the reduction in exposure to violence reported by the young Whites and Hispanics. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Trajectories of exposure to violence and related psychological distress did not escalate over time as expected. In light of these findings, more research is needed on the heterogeneity of violence exposure and its negative psychological impacts.

Adolescent medical care: A priority in family medicine / La atención médica del adolescente: una prioridad en Medicina Familiar

Today's adolescents are, undoubtedly, very different from those attended by the family doctor in the past. Currently, we are facing young people full of ideas, with a lot of personality, who show novel interactions with the world. It is a fact that the care of adolescent patient by family physicians it is performed more frequently and will be further increased by the recent incorporation of the care of adolescent patient to the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (Mexican Institute of Social Security: IMSS). Among the most frequent medical problems of adolescents, the most important are: early pregnancy, depression, violence, use and abuse of alcohol and drugs, and nutrition and eating disorders. It is required an approach to this very complex population. For this reason, family doctors should be open to facilitate dialogue, without making judgments, and with too much empathy. To that end, it is necessary to be updated in all issues that are emerging day by day concerning adolescents.

Los adolescentes de ahora son, sin duda, muy diferentes de aquellos que atendía el médico familiar en épocas pasadas. Actualmente, nos encontramos ante jóvenes llenos de ideas, de personalidad, que presentan nuevos vínculos e interacciones con el mundo. Es un hecho que la atención del paciente adolescente por los médicos familiares se realiza cada vez con mayor frecuencia y se verá incrementada aún más por la reciente incorporación de la atención del adolescente al IMSS. Entre los problemas médicos más frecuentes del adolescente destacan aquellos referentes a embarazos, depresión, violencia, consumo de alcohol y drogas, así como los trastornos de la conducta alimenticia. Se requiere de un acercamiento a esta población, la cual es muy compleja. Por ello, los médicos familiares deben estar abiertos a facilitar el diálogo, sin juzgar y con la máxima empatía posible. Para ello, es necesario estar actualizados en todos los temas que van surgiendo día a día con respecto a los adolescentes.

Polyvictimization, Related Symptoms, and Familial and Neighborhood Contexts as Longitudinal Mediators of Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Violence Exposure Across Adolescence.

African American and Hispanic adolescent experience more violence exposure relative to White youth. The present study examined the mediating role of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), delinquency, earlier victimization, and familial and neighborhood factors in disparities in future victimization. The study utilized data from the National Survey of Adolescents-Replication (N = 3,312), which consists of three waves of data collected approximately 1 year apart. A series of path models, tested polyvictimization, PTSS, delinquency, familial socioeconomic factors, and neighborhood safety as mediators of disparities in new polyvictimization. All cross-lagged and autoregressive paths positively predicted past-year polyvictimization and mediated longitudinal disparities. Familial socioeconomic variables and neighborhood safety mediated initial violence exposure disparities. Overall, results indicate that prior violence exposure, related mental health symptoms, and familial and neighborhood factors account for significant portions of disparities in new violence exposure across adolescence.

Hopelessness and Delinquent Behavior as Predictors of Community Violence Exposure in Ethnic Minority Male Adolescent Offenders.

Justice-involved boys from urban communities are disproportionately impacted by community violence exposure (ECV) and despite decades of research, rates of ECV in youth continue to increase particularly for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Despite the increased risk of exposure, the majority of research focuses on what may protect youth from the deleterious outcomes associated with violence exposure, rather than strategies that may prevent the violence exposure from occurring. The current study seeks to shift the focus of research in this area to examining factors that may predict future violence exposure. Specifically, the purpose of the current study is to examine the role of hopelessness as a predictor of the risk for violence exposure in a sample of 831 justice-involved, urban boys ages 14-18 (52.2% African American, 42.1% Hispanic, 5.7% other). Results revealed that baseline levels of low aspirations and hopelessness towards the future indirectly predicted violence exposure 1 year later through engagement in delinquent behavior. Clinical implications for targeting youth with elevated risk and preventing future violence exposure are discussed.