Community Violence and Adolescent Development: An Examination of Risk and Protective Factors among African American Youth

This study measures the degree of exposure to violence through actual attack, witnessing violent events, and delinquent peer associations among500 African American high school students in the state of Virginia. In seeking to account for problem behavior, attention is given to sociodemographic characteristics, exposure to guns and violence as risk factors, and the moderating effects of coping strategies utilized by African American adolescents. Relying on recent research examining the relationship between victimization events and problem behavior, the study examines the development of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems (i.e., delinquency, anxiety, depression) in response to violent victimization and emphasizes the emotional adjustment among African American youth exposed to violence. Findings suggest a linkage between the indicators of exposure to violence, problem behavior, and coping strategy among youth. Implications for future research are addressed.