This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Scarpa, A. Articles by Haden, S. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Scarpa, A. Articles by Haden, S. C. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Lifetime Prevalence and Socioemotional Effects of Hearing About Community Violence

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, ascarpa{at}vt.edu

Jimmy D. Hurley

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA

Howard W. Shumate

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA

Sara Chiara Haden

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA

This study extends findings on community violence (CV) exposure in young adults by examining the prevalence, characteristics, and socioemotional effects related to hearing about violence. Surveys of lifetime CV exposure and socioemotional outcomes were completed by 518 male and female undergraduates completed and were divided into groups with high, moderate, or low scores on hearing. Of respondents, 97.8% reported hearing about violence at least once, with a substantial proportion hearing about different types of acts. Reportedly, the most frequent perpetrators were nonfamily members, the most frequent location was near home, and most incidents occurred within the past year. The high-scoring group reported significantly greater levels of depressed mood, posttraumatic stress symptoms, aggressive behavior, and interpersonal problems associated with personality disorders. Results extend previous findings on the unfortunate prevalence of violence exposure and its negative psychological effects in today’s young adults and suggest that chronic exposure to hearing about violence can have deleterious repercussions.

Key Words: community violence • trauma • depression • posttraumatic stress • aggression • personality disorders

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 21, No. 1, 5-23 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0886260505281661


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?