Abstract
This 2-year longitudinal study investigated the relations between community and school violence exposure, witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV), family social support, and anxiety, within a sample of 100 school-age children (39% female, M age = 9.90 years). Using multilevel modeling, we found heterogeneity across children in terms of their initial levels of anxiety and their trajectories of anxiety over time. Initial community and school violence exposure and witnessing IPV were both positively associated with initial levels of anxiety. Over time, change in both community and school violence exposure and witnessing IPV positively covaried with anxiety. Further, gender, initial family social support, and change in family social support significantly moderated the effect of change in community and school violence exposure on anxiety.
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (1R01 MH57267) awarded to the third author.
Notes
Note: IPV = Intimate Partner Violence.
a N = 100; b N = 81; c N = 84; d N = 83; e N = 82; f N = 81.
Note: IPV = Intimate Partner Violence.
∗p < .05; ∗∗p < .01; ∗∗∗p < .001.