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Psychological Symptoms Linking Exposure to Community Violence and Academic Functioning in African American Adolescents

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Abstract

African American adolescents are exposed disproportionately to community violence, increasing their risk for emotional and behavioral symptoms that can detract from learning and undermine academic outcomes. The present study examined whether aggressive behavior and depressive and anxious symptoms mediated the association between exposure to community violence and academic functioning, and if the indirect effects of community violence on academic functioning differed for boys and girls, in a community sample of urban African American adolescents (N = 491; 46.6 % female). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the indirect effect of exposure to community violence in grade 6 on grade 8 academic functioning. Results revealed that aggression in grade 7 mediated the association between grade 6 exposure to community violence and grade 8 academic functioning. There were no indirect effects through depressive and anxious symptoms, and gender did not moderate the indirect effect. Findings highlight the importance of targeting aggressive behavior for youth exposed to community violence to not only improve their behavioral adjustment but also their academic functioning. Implications for future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH057005: PI Ialongo; MH078995: PI Lambert) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA11796: PI Ialongo). We thank the Baltimore City Public Schools for their collaborative efforts and the parents, children, teachers, principals, and school psychologists and social workers who participated in this study.

Author contributions

DB conceived the study, participated in the analysis and interpretation of the data, and drafted the manuscript; SL conceived the study, performed the statistical analysis and interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript; NI was responsible for the design and coordination of the study, and performed the measurement. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, 2125 G Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20052, USA

    Danielle R. Busby & Sharon F. Lambert

  2. Bloomberg School of Public Health, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Nicholas S. Ialongo

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  1. Danielle R. Busby
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  2. Sharon F. Lambert
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  3. Nicholas S. Ialongo
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Correspondence to Danielle R. Busby.

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Busby, D.R., Lambert, S.F. & Ialongo, N.S. Psychological Symptoms Linking Exposure to Community Violence and Academic Functioning in African American Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 42, 250–262 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9895-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9895-z

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