Training Track: Clinical

Lab: Parents and Children Coping Together (PACCT) Lab  

Advisor: Noni Gaylord-Harden, Ph.D. 

Office: Coffey Hall 248

Webpage: Researchgate LinkedIn

Pathways to community violence exposure and factors that may prevent youth from negative outcomes after experiencing violence exposure.  

Psychological Predictors of Community Violence Exposure in Ethnic Minority Male Adolescents 

Urban, minority males are disproportionately impacted by community violence
exposure (ECV). However, person-based analyses have demonstrated variability in rates of ECV, suggesting that demographic risk factors do not always result in increased ECV, and it may be important to examine the utility of psychological factors in this relationship. Research suggests that depressive symptoms may actually exacerbate the risk of ECV. The current study examines the effect of internalizing symptoms on future ECV. Data were derived from a larger longitudinal study of adolescents who had committed a criminal offense. This subset of 184 participants ranged in age from 14-18. Results indicated that higher levels of depressive cognitions predicted more ECV over time, above and beyond demographic variables, somatic symptoms, affective symptoms, and prior levels of ECV. There was no significant indirect relationship between depressive symptoms and ECV. Implications for intervention and further research are discussed.  

Community Violence Exposure Among Ethnic Minority Youth: Understanding the Predictive Roles of Depressive Symptoms and Risky Behavior in a Community Sample

Low-income, ethnic minority youth are disproportionately impacted by community violence exposure (ECV) and despite decades of research, rates of ECV in youth continue to increase. Despite the increased risk of exposure, the majority of research focuses on what may protect youth from the deleterious outcomes associated with violence exposure, rather than strategies that may prevent the violence exposure from occurring. The current study seeks to expand on existing literature that shifts the focus of research in this area upstream to examining factors that may predict future violence exposure. Ecologically framed models have identified that although community violence exposure is multiply determined, children’s individual behaviors and cognitions are significant contributors in the prediction of ECV. The research on externalizing behaviors supports this model, as research continues to demonstrate that youth who engage in more risky and delinquent behavior are at increased risk for violence exposure. However, less is known about the role of internalizing symptoms and specifically how different components of depression may operate in this relationship. Guided by the reciprocal stress model, the purpose of the current study is to examine the role of internalizing symptoms in the prediction of future violence exposure in a community sample of youth and the mechanisms of this relationship.

Noni Gaylord-Harden, Ph.D., Catherine DeCarlo Santiago, Ph.D., Kathryn Grant, Ph.D., James Garbarino, Ph.D.