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Running Head: COMMUNITY VIOLENCE AND ADOLESCENTS

Community Violence and Adolescents

Psychology 1100
Chris Jones

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Introduction
Exposure to community violence is a common phenomenon in inner city, urban areas.
This violence can come from gangs, domestic family violence, or it can be related to criminal
acts. Being a witness, or a victim can have strong psychological impacts on adolescents, and can
continue to affect them as they transition into adulthood. They way community violence affects
teens varies from academic abilities, to trouble adjusting to adult stressors. It is important to note
that urban violence is not a new occurrence, but modern research methods make it easier to
understand how community violence can affect individuals.
Background
An estimated 80 percent of urban teens have seen community violence and 70 percent
have been victims. It is also estimated 10-18 million children and adolescents are exposed to
marital violence ( Self-Brown 2004). Exposure to violence, whether by being a victim, or by
witnessing violence is a major life stressor which in addition to other major life stressors can
reduce psychological functions. Witnessing community violence does not necessarily result with
those involved having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is because PTSD is generally
associated with the trauma of recalling only one extreme event, while those exposed to
community violence are generally exposed to multiple instances of violence. Even though
exposure to violence may not necessarily result in PTSD, it can still have negative side effects
that can interfere with an individuals daily life (Rosenthal 2003). Community violence also
tends to be under-reported.
Its important to note that when community violence occurs, it usually involves only a
few individuals so it is rarely reported (Rosenthal 2003). In addition to generally being under-

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reported, adolescents are far more likely to be exposed to community violence than other age
groups. This can lead to adjustment difficulties in school, as well as other negative effects such
as academic difficulty and drug abuse, as well as other mental disorders such as anxiety and
depression (Kliewer 2008).
Current Studies
In the study done by Rosenthal, 468 college students aged 17-19 were asked to complete
a survey detailing their experiences with violence in order to view the relationship between
exposure to violence, and psychological distress. The participants were asked to mark answers on
the survey which rated both their exposure to violence, and the participant being a victim of
violence. The exposure scale contained 11 items, ranging from seeing a person being chased, to
seeing a person being killed. The victim scale contained 7 items ranging from being chased to
being shot, and also included having something taken from them by force. The sample included
equal amounts of participants from each of the four main areas of New York City (Brooklyn, The
Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan). 30 percent of the participants were male, reflecting the
distribution of gender in the sampled colleges (Rosenthal 2003).
The majority of the participants in the sample had been exposed to community violence
either as a witness or as a victim. 96 percent of participants had witnessed another person being a
victim of community violence, while 56 percent had been a victim. The median level of exposure
was witnessing about half of the 11 types of exposure at least once. 5 percent of the sample had
witnessed each of the 11 types at least once or twice, and had witnessed many of them several
times. The median level of victimization was being a victim of at least one, but less than half of

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the 7 types of exposure. 1 percent had been a victim of all 7 types multiple times. In terms of
Psychological distress, there was a medium correlation between exposure to violence, and
psychological distress. However, the degree of psychological distress within the sample was not
significantly different from the national average, even though researches recommended clinical
treatment for many of the participants (Rosenthal 2003).
In addition to psychological distress, Threat Appraisal difficulties could potentially be
another outcome of exposure to violence in adolescents, according to Kliewer. Threat Appraisal
is the mental and emotional process of evaluating a situation and determining if it is a threat.
This is significant when studying community violence because if adolescents have difficulty with
threat appraisal, they may feel threatened unnecessarily in otherwise safe situations, or may not
feel threatened enough in dangerous situations. In the study done by Kliewer, 358 adolescents
and their maternal caregivers were given surveys to answer both how the adolescent had been
involved in violence, and how it correlates with threat appraisals within the adolescent. Similar
to the study done by Rosenthal, many of the adolescents had been the victims of, or had been
exposed to community violence (Kliewer 2008).
When comparing the adolescents answers on the survey to answers their caregivers gave,
one of the most immediately noticeable trends is that the answers between the two groups are
significantly different (Kliewer 2008). This could potentially indicate that caregivers are less
knowledgeable about instances of violence their children have been involved in, supporting the
claim that most instances of community violence are underreported. The article recommends that
when treating adolescents who have been exposed to community violence it is most important to
focus on the salient issue or appraisal. For instance, if an adolescent is feeling a large amount of
self-blame about the exposure, this should be the primary focus (Kliewer 2008).

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Exposure to violence is considered a major life stressor, however there are many other
stressors associated with the average day for the average person. According to Self-Brown, part
of the reason community violence can be so detrimental to mental health is because it changes
the way an adolescent handles daily stress. Self-Browns study began by having 80 high school
students fill out a questionnaire. These high school students were from a school located in an
area which has a higher than average crime rate in the United States. Participants then took both
the SAVE and the BASC to measure both their level of exposure to violence, and their general
personality traits (which would indicate if they were suffering from psychological disorders such
as depression and anxiety). The parents of the students were also asked to fill out a questionnaire
to determine whether the students externalize or internalize their exposure to community
violence (Self-Brown 2004).
Results of this study showed a trend that students who had high daily stress, and high
exposure to violence were more likely to receive negative psychological effects from the
violence. There is also a significant reduction of internalizing exposures to violence in
adolescents who had low daily stress (Self-Brown 2004). However, the level of stress is selfreported, these individuals could still have high stress levels than average adolescents in other
areas of the United States.
One characteristic of all these studies is that they focus only on those who had witnessed
community violence, or victims of community violence. There are very few studies on the effects
of community violence on the perpetrators. The majority of the individuals surveyed are both
African-American and female. These studies also focus almost exclusively on community
violence within the United States. More research in several of these areas could potentially give
researchers information to further benefit those involved with community violence.

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Future Research
Future research should include more research on individuals who actively engage in
community violence, such as adolescent gang members and drug dealers. This research should
include how the violence cognitively affects those who cause it, as well as how it
psychologically affects them. Research should also focus on the relationship the aggressors have
with the victims, in order to see if there is a particular correlation or trend that could be a
contributing factor to an individual being a victim of community violence.
`Long term studies would also expand our knowledge on how community violence
influences individuals over the course of their lifetime. These studies should follow known
victims, witnesses, and aggressors for several years to see the social and psychological
implications of community violence. Additionally, more males included in sample sizes would
help researches understand whether the effects of community violence are influenced by gender,
or if gender influences the likelihood of adolescents engaging in community violence. Studies
exploring ways of mitigating the effects of community violence would also be extremely
beneficial to those who have already been affected.
Conclusion
Community violence is a major problem in the United States. It is a problem that can
affect most of us in some way. For many of us, it is simply the negative feeling of seeing the
results of violence in the news. For some, however, it could result in them being another victim
of community violence. These studies are a step in the right direction, but much more research
needs to be done in order to truly help us understand the issue, and improve conditions of those
affected by it.

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References
Kliewer, W. N. (2008). Community Violence Exposure, Threat Appraisal, and Adjustment in
Adolescents. Journal Of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology,37(4), 860-873.
Rosenthal, B. C. (2003). THE ASSOCIATION OF ECOLOGICAL VARIABLES AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WITH EXPOSURE TO COMMUNTY VIOLENCE
AMONG ADOLESCENTS. Adolescence, 38(151), 459-479.
Self-Brown, S. L. (2004). Effects of violence exposure and daily stressors on psychological
outcomes in urban adolescents. Journal Of Traumatic Stress, 17(6), 519-527.