Latino/a adolescents facing neighborhood dangers: An examination of community violence and gender‐based harassment

While ample research examines community violence as a serious public health problem that disproportionately affects minority adolescents, less attention focuses on adolescents' experiences of gender‐based harassment in poor, urban neighborhoods. Using data from 416 urban, low‐income Latino/a adolescents (53% female; Mage = 15.5), this study examined (a) the relations between community violence exposure (CVE), gender‐based harassment, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and (b) the role of parent–child cohesion as a moderator of the relations between CVE/harassment and PTSD symptoms. Whereas both CVE and gender‐based harassment were associated with greater PTSD symptoms, the effect of gender‐based harassment on PTSD symptoms was far greater than the effect of community violence. Additionally, the association between gender‐based harassment and PTSD symptoms was exacerbated when parent–child cohesion was high, compared to when cohesion was low or average. Finally, Latino/a adolescents exposed to high levels of both CVE and gender‐based harassment had worse PTSD symptoms compared to those exposed primarily to gender‐based harassment, who in turn had worse PTSD symptoms than those exposed primarily to community violence. Findings highlight the importance of including adolescents' experiences with gender‐based harassment when studying community violence. Highlights Latino/a adolescents experience high rates of both community violence and gender‐based harassment. Community violence exposure and gender‐based harassment were each associated with adolescents' posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Community violence researchers should also assess gender‐based harassment to fully capture adolescents' experiences in dangerous neighborhoods.