Examining the Effects of Emotional and Cognitive Desensitization to Community Violence Exposure in Male Adolescents of Color

Overview

Journal Am J Orthopsychiatry

Publisher American Psychological Association

Specialties Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2016 Dec 16

PMID 27977283

Citations 7

Authors

Noni K Gaylord-Harden

Suzanna So

Grace J Bai

Patrick H Tolan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The current study examined pathways in a model of desensitization, the Pathologic Adaptation Model, in adolescent males of color. Specifically, the current study examined depressive symptoms and deviant beliefs as mediators of the association between community violence exposure and subsequent violent behavior. The current study included 250 African-American (67%) and Latino (33%) male adolescents (T1 mean age = 15.32) from the Chicago Youth Development Study. Consistent with the Pathologic Adaptation Model, results demonstrated that depressive symptoms mediated the association between the quadratic violence exposure term in middle adolescence and violent behaviors in late adolescence, but the direction of the mediation effect was dependent upon the levels of violence exposure in middle adolescence. However, deviant beliefs were not found to be a significant mediator. Emotional desensitization effects may increase the likelihood of violence perpetration in adolescent males exposed to community violence, and the implications for future research and intervention efforts are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Citing Articles

Family Matters: The Effects of Multigenerational Community Violence Exposure on Family Functioning.

Wilkins K, Wilkins W, Gaylord-Harden N, Tolan P, Woods-Jaeger B Res Hum Dev. 2023; 20(1-2):6-24.

PMID: 37681204 PMC: 10482071. DOI: 10.1080/15427609.2023.2215129.

Examining the Pathologic Adaptation Model of Community Violence Exposure in Justice Involved Adolescents: the Moderating and Mediating Effects of Moral Disengagement.

Phan J, Gaylord-Harden N J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2022; 15(3):669-681.

PMID: 35958730 PMC: 9360294. DOI: 10.1007/s40653-021-00425-2.

Chicago Youths' Exposure to Community Violence: Contextualizing Spatial Dynamics of Violence and the Relationship With Psychological Functioning.

DaViera A, Roy A Am J Community Psychol. 2019; 65(3-4):332-342.

PMID: 31792990 PMC: 8006467. DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12405.

A technology-augmented intervention to prevent peer violence and depressive symptoms among at-risk emergency department adolescents: Protocol for a randomized control trial.

Ranney M, Patena J, Dunsiger S, Spirito A, Cunningham R, Boyer E Contemp Clin Trials. 2019; 82:106-114.

PMID: 31129373 PMC: 6606356. DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2019.05.009.

Stress and the Mental Health of Populations of Color: Advancing Our Understanding of Race-related Stressors.

Williams D J Health Soc Behav. 2018; 59(4):466-485.

PMID: 30484715 PMC: 6532404. DOI: 10.1177/0022146518814251.

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