Parents as moderators of psychological and physiological correlates of inner-city children's exposure to violence

This paper discusses the psychological and physiological correlates of inner-city violence on children, and die potential mediating and moderating roles of parents. Data are based on interviews regarding exposure to community violence (ECV), parenting practices, child distress, posttraumatic symptomology, and competence. Cardiovascular activation was also measured. Community violence exposure related to distress, posttraumatic symptomology, and incompetence. Harsh parenting related to aggression, distress, incompetence, and higher heart rates. Parenting moderated but did not mediate the effects of violence on measures of competence. High violence plus harsh parenting predicted lower levels of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Results are discussed within an ecological framework of parent-child relations and as they relate to the conclusion that children undergoing dual levels of stress may experience a dissociative response. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.