THE INFLUENCE OF RACIAL VIOLENCE IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND SCHOOLS ON THE PSYCHO-BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES IN ADOLESCENCE

Abstract

Racism in all its manifestations is violence. This study examines the effect of discrimination-based racial violence in neighborhoods and schools on adolescent psychological and behavioral outcomes, while also testing the moderating influence of civic engagement. Researchers used a cross-sectional survey design to measure neighborhood and school-based racial discrimination, civic engagement, racial identity development, racism-based stress, and aggressive behaviors in a sample of 167 13 - 23 year old adolescents and emerging adults. Participants were recruited through a cluster randomized trial to test the impact of blight remediation in preventing youth violence. Study researchers hypothesized a direct effect of racial discrimination on adolescents’ racism-based stress and aggressive behaviors and a buffering effect of civic engagement on these relationships. Researchers also examined these relationships in participants with higher-than-average racial identity development scores. Multivariate regression models revealed a significant direct effect of both neighborhood and school discrimination on adolescents’ aggressive behaviors. Civic engagement had a positive buffering effect in the relationship between neighborhood discrimination and aggressive behaviors. Similar relationships were observed among adolescents with a high racial identity with stronger effect. Study findings have implications for understanding the behavioral impact of racial violence and investing in civic engagement to mitigate its impact in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

Requests for study data can be made to the first author at [email protected].

Notes

1. Activism that involves “highly visible, assertive, and risky actions” (Hope et al., 2019 , p. 4).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by unding from the National Institutes of Health (NICHD) under Grant # 5R01HD095609; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.