The Role of Internal and External Protective Factors in Low-Income, Ethnic Minority Children's Psychological Reactions to Community Violence Exposure

Abstract

This investigation examined the roles that internal and external protective factors play in the relationship between community violence exposure and children's adjustment. It also examined whether gender and non-violent stressors alter patterns of moderation. Ninety-five students completed measures of stressors, community violence, protective factors, and symptomatology. Results indicated that stressors, community violence and self-esteem exerted direct effects on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while self-reliance interacted with community violence to predict depressive symptoms. Results also showed that the relationship between community violence and self-esteem was altered when stressors and gender were included in the models. When external protective factors were examined, peer relationships predicted PTSD and depression. Implications for research and practice include assessing stressors in children and implementing interventions that promote/strengthen protective factors.

Keywords:

• community violence exposure
• childhood depression
• PTSD

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant awarded to the first and second authors by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of Education, Excellence in Urban Education program. Portions of this manuscript were presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI, July 2004. We would like to thank the staff at Milwaukee Public School's Malcolm X Academy for their co-operation, Molly Brodigan for assistance in data collection, and Philip L. Smith, for helpful comments on an earlier draft.