Children's Exposure to Violence Across Contexts in Relation to Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Objective: Children in low-income, urban neighborhoods are at high risk of exposure to violence (ETV) across settings and subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Little research has examined how multiple forms of ETV co-occur and relate to variations in children's posttraumatic responses. Furthermore, previous research primarily uses variable-centered methods, which can obscure person-level differences. The current study used person-centered methods to derive commonly occurring patterns of ETV by examining frequency of witnessing and victimization across family, school, and community contexts. The current study related profiles of ETV to demographic variables and PTSS, with the goal of obtaining nuanced representations of urban children's experiences of, risk factors for, and responses to violence. Method: Patterns of ETV were examined in a sample of 239 African American 7th grade youth using latent profile analysis. Profiles were related to demographic variables and PTSS using logistic regression. Results: Results showed three profiles: Low (N = 130, 54.4%), Moderate (N = 87; 36.4%), and High (N = 22; 9.2%) Exposure groups. The High Exposure group showed the highest levels of PTSS. The Moderate group showed the lowest levels of all PTSS, except dissociation. In contrast, the Low Exposure group showed significantly higher numbing and hypervigilance than the Moderate Exposure group. Conclusions: Results support a dose-response model of ETV and PTSS, but implicate situational factors (e.g., setting) as important in understanding posttraumatic responses. The systematic variation in ETV and subsequent differences in PTSS expression illustrate the need for individualized trauma-informed intervention and thorough screenings in low-income, urban neighborhoods.