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Adolescent Experiences of Violence and Relation to Violence Perpetration beyond Young Adulthood among an Urban Sample of Black and African American Males

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine if experiences of physical violence during early and late adolescence (12–21 years) places urban Black males at increased risk for interpersonal violence perpetration beyond young adulthood (30 years and older). Participants of this cross-sectional study were Black and African American men (N = 455) between the ages of 30 and 65 years, recruited from four urban clinical sites in the Northeast. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the relation of adolescent experiences of violence to: (1) past 6 month street violence involvement and (2) past year intimate partner violence perpetration. Ten percent of the sample reported that they experienced adolescent victimization. Men reporting adolescent victimization were significantly more likely to report past 6-month street violence involvement (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 3.2, 95 % CI = 1.7–6.3) and past 6 month intimate partner violence perpetration (AOR = 2.8, 95 % CI = 1.8–5.4) compared to men who did not report such victimization. Study findings suggest that in order to prevent adulthood perpetration of violence, more work is needed to address experiences of victimization among young Black males, particularly violence experienced during adolescence.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded under a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CCU123364) and National Institutes of Health (R01-MH-096657) (PI: Raj). The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University School of Public Health, 2175 K Street, Suite 700, Washington, DC, USA

    Elizabeth Reed

  2. Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Danielle A. Lawrence & M.C. Santana

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    C. Seth L. Welles

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    C. Robert Horsburgh

  5. Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Jay G. Silverman & Anita Raj

  6. Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    John A. Rich

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  1. Elizabeth Reed
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  8. Anita Raj
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Reed.

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Reed, E., Lawrence, D.A., Santana, M. et al. Adolescent Experiences of Violence and Relation to Violence Perpetration beyond Young Adulthood among an Urban Sample of Black and African American Males. J Urban Health 91, 96–106 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-013-9805-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-013-9805-z

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