Does community violence exposure predict trauma symptoms in a sample of maltreated youth in foster care?

Edward F. Garrido*, Sara E. Culhane, Tali Raviv, Heather N. Taussig

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies find that childhood exposure to family and community violence is associated with trauma symptoms. Few studies, however, have explored whether community violence exposure (CVE) predicts trauma symptoms after controlling for the effects associated with family violence exposure (FVE). In the current study, CVE and FVE were examined in a sample of 179 youth with a recent history of maltreatment. CVE was associated with trauma symptoms after controlling for FVE, but FVE was not associated with trauma symptoms after controlling for CVE. In addition, negative coping strategies (e.g., self-harm, interpersonal aggression) partially mediated the association between CVE and trauma symptoms. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for interventions aimed at addressing the needs of children exposed to violence.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)755-769
Number of pages15
JournalViolence and Victims
Volume25
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Community violence exposure
  • Coping styles
  • Family violence exposure
  • Trauma symptoms

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Health(social science)
  • Law

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