Exposure to Community Violence and the Trajectory of Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in a Sample of Low-Income Urban Youth

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy J. Taylor ◽  
Kathryn E. Grant ◽  
Courtney A. Zulauf ◽  
Patrick J. Fowler ◽  
David A. Meyerson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Violence ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Externalizing Symptoms ◽  
Exposure To Community Violence ◽  
Internalizing And Externalizing ◽  
Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms

scholarly journals Stressful Life Circumstances, Resources for Support, and African American Children’s Psychological Symptoms

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison J. Woerpel ◽  
Willie Winston ◽  
Sonya S. Brady
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Child Support ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Externalizing Symptoms ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Internalizing And Externalizing ◽  
Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms

This brief report examines African American children’s and caregivers’ exposure to stressors and perceived support in relation to children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Forty-six children aged 8 to 12 years and their primary caregivers were recruited from an urban school in the Midwestern United States and interviewed separately. Adjusting for child’s age and gender, caregiver’s gender, and number of caregivers in the family, child-reported stressful life events were associated with child-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. When children reported greater support from caregivers, children reported fewer externalizing symptoms and caregivers reported fewer oppositional behaviors and ADHD symptoms on the part of their child. Caregivers’ health- and relationship-related stressors were associated with child-reported externalizing symptoms, as well as caregiver-reported ADHD symptoms. Family-based mental health services within schools and communities may improve caregiver and child support systems, reduce caregiver-child conflict, and promote resilience to stress among urban, low-income African American families.

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