Associations between Gun Violence Exposure, Gang Associations, and Youth Aggression: Implications for Prevention and Intervention Programs

Abstract

Using cross-sectional data collected from three middle schools in Southeast Los Angeles, we assessed the association of neighborhood violence exposure, gang associations, and social self-control with past week aggression in a sample of minority youth ( = 164). Results from Poisson and logistic regression models showed that direct exposure to gun violence, having friends in gangs, and low social self control were all positively associated with past week aggression. Among girls, having gang affiliated family members was positively associated with aggression, whereas among boys having friends in gangs was associated with past week aggression. Subjective expectations of engagement in future interpersonal violence were associated with being male, having friends in gangs, and fear of neighborhood gun violence. We recommend that youth violence prevention and intervention programs address the impact of family, peers, and gun violence on student coping and identify students with low social self-control who could benefit from social and emotional skills training.

Social Self-Control Is a Statistically Nonredundant Correlate of Adolescent Substance Use

“…These associations are consistent across: (1) cross-sectional designs (Forster, Grigsby, Unger, & Sussman, 2015; Pokhrel, Sussman, Sun, Kniazev, & Masagutov, 2010; Sussman, McCuller & Dent, 2003) and prospective designs predicting future drug use from previous SSC (Pokhrel, Sussman, Rohrbach, & Sun, 2007; Pokhrel et al, 2013; Pokhrel, Sussman, & Stacy, 2014); (2) various settings spanning alternative (continuation) high schools (Pokhrel, Sussman, Rohrbach, & Sun, 2007; Pokhrel, Sussman, & Stacy, 2014; Sussman, McCuller & Dent, 2003), traditional high schools (Pokhrel, Sussman, Rohrbach, & Sun, 2007; Pokhrel et al, 2010; Pokhrel et al, 2013), and middle schools (Forster, Grigsby, Unger, & Sussman, 2015); and (3) several demographic strata, including predominately Mexican-American youth samples (Pokhrel et al, 2013), Russian youths (Pokhrel, Sussman, Sun, Kniazev, & Masagutov, 2010), and a relatively large percentage of African American youth samples (41% of the sample; Forster, Grigsby, Unger, & Sussman, 2015). These studies provide evidence of concurrent and predictive validity for the SSCS.…”

“…For each item, response options ranged from “Never” (1) to “Always” (4) and a mean score was computed. The internal consistencies across studies have been moderately high, ranging from .73 (Pokhrel and colleagues, 2007, 2010; Sussman and colleagues, 2003), to .76 (Forster and colleagues, 2015; Pokhrel and colleagues, 2013) to .84 (Pokhrel and colleagues, 2014). In this study the alpha coefficient was .76.…”

Examining a Dual‐Process Model of Desensitization and Hypersensitization to Community Violence in African American Male Adolescents

“…Further, experiencing the victimization and homicide deaths of friends and family members peaks during mid-adolescence for African American males (Smith, 2015). For those disproportionately exposed to ECV and without protective factors in place, the likelihood of engaging in aggressive behavior is heightened (Barroso et al, 2008;Forster et al, 2015). Even after controlling for previous symptoms and other stressors, ECV is associated with increases in aggression (McCabe, Lucchini, Hough, Yeh, & Hazen, 2005).…”

“…African American male adolescents from urban communities report disproportionately high levels of ECV (Zimmerman & Messner, 2013). As ECV increases, the likelihood of engaging in aggressive behavior also increases (e.g., Forster, Grigsby, Unger, & Sussman, 2015). Therefore, understanding mechanisms that link ECV and aggressive behavior is critical.…”

Perception of Pranks on Social Media: Clout-Lighting

“…Disrespect in any form by one's partner can lead to dejection, social rejection and low self-esteem or self-worth. Pranks when done in a way that the 'victim' feels insulted or abused can lead to aggressive behavior from the victim, low feeling of selfworth and withdrawal (Chan & Chui, 2017;Connolly, Al-Ghamdi, Kobeisy, Alqurashi, Schwartz, & Beaver, 2017;Forster, Grigsby, Unger, & Sussman, 2015). Previous literature, (Donnellan, Trzesniewski, Robins, Moffitt, & Caspi, 2005;Lo, Cheng, Wong, Rochelle, & Kwok, 2011) has revealed a positive correlation between high selfesteem, high self-efficacy, and assertive behaviors in youths-self-discipline and good work performance.…”