Stressful events and individual beliefs as correlates of economic disadvantage and aggression among urban children.

Abstract

This study examined 3 factors that were hypothesized to increase risk for aggression among urban children: economic disadvantage, stressful events, and individual beliefs. Participants were 1,935 African American, Hispanic, and White elementary-school boys and girls assessed over a 2-year period. The relation between individual poverty and aggression was only significant for the White children, with significant interactions between individual and community poverty for the other 2 ethnic groups. With a linear structural model to predict aggression from the stress and beliefs variables, individual poverty predicted stress for African American children and predicted beliefs supporting aggression for Hispanic children. For all ethnic groups, both stress and beliefs contributed significantly to the synchronous prediction of aggression, and for the Hispanic children, the longitudinal predictions were also significant. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for preventive interventions in multiethnic, inner-city communities.

Racial Discrimination and Racial Identity as Risk or Protective Factors for Violent Behaviors in African American Young Adults

“…Extensive evidence has accumulated on the effects of specific psychosocial and environmental risk factors for the perpetration of violent behaviors. Youth violence in the United States has been associated consistently with aggressiveness, antisocial behavior, and poverty during childhood, substance use, antisocial peer groups, parent disciplinary practices, parents with favorable attitudes toward violence, family functioning, academic failure, and being male (Blaske, Borduin, Henggeler, & Mann, 1989;Farrington & Loeber, 2000;Florsheim, Tolan, & Gorman-Smith, 1996;Gorman-Smith, Tolan, Zelli, & Huesmann, 1996;Gorman-Smith, Tolan, Loeber, & Henry, 1998;Guerra, Husemann, Tolan, Van Acker, & Eron, 1995; Hawkins et al, 2000;Henggeler, 1989; Henry, Tolan, & Gorman-Smith, 2001;Kosterman et al, 2001;Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber, 1998; Tolan & Lorion, 1988;USDHHS, 2001). Yet, the majority of youth at risk for committing violent acts do not engage in violent behaviors (Zimmerman, Steinman, & Rowe, 1998).…”

“…Because most research on youth violence and African Americans is cross-sectional and focuses on children and younger adolescents, the relationship between experiences with racial discrimination and violent behavior among young adults is not understood. Previous research does suggest that interpersonal conflict and violence in the home and community will result in violent behavior, psychological distress, a negative outlook on the future, and a low sense of self-worth among children and youth, especially among African American males (Guerra et al, 1995;Paschall & Hubbard, 1998; Yager & RotheramBorus, 2000).…”

“…From a developmental perspective, youths' psychosocial characteristics are expected to interact over time with the social contexts in which they live (e.g., families, neighborhoods, schools, peer groups) to determine whether or not they engage in violent acts (Patterson, 1992). Guerra et al (1995), for example, found that stressful life events and normative beliefs supporting violent behavior among African American children mediated the propensity for violence.Most research on violence among African American youth is limited because it has virtually ignored the significance of sociocultural influences such as racial identification or racial discrimination as either psychosocial or social contextual factors for understanding violent behavior. Research on youth violence is often descriptive, reporting only racial differences in violent behaviors with little or no explanation of how sociocultural factors may have influenced the perpetration or avoidance of engaging in violent acts (Hammond & Yung, 1993).…”

“…Because most research on youth violence and African Americans is cross-sectional and focuses on children and younger adolescents, the relationship between experiences with racial discrimination and violent behavior among young adults is not understood. Previous research does suggest that interpersonal conflict and violence in the home and community will result in violent behavior, psychological distress, a negative outlook on the future, and a low sense of self-worth among children and youth, especially among African American males (Guerra et al, 1995;Paschall & Hubbard, 1998; Yager & RotheramBorus, 2000).A critical aspect of self-worth for many African American youth is the establishment of a racial identity (Cross et al, 1998;Phinney, 1990;Sellers, Rowley, Chavous, Shelton, & Smith, 1997;Spencer, Cunningham, & Swanson, 1995). Helms (1990) noted that racial identity "is a sense of group or collective identity based on one's perception that he/she shares a common racial heritage with a particular racial group" (p. 3).…”

“…This suggests the importance of an ecological framework in explaining these behaviors. The ecological model posits that youth violence is a function of individual psychosocial characteristics, social influences, and societal constraints (Guerra et al 1995;Paschall & Hubbard, 1998). From a developmental perspective, youths' psychosocial characteristics are expected to interact over time with the social contexts in which they live (e.g., families, neighborhoods, schools, peer groups) to determine whether or not they engage in violent acts (Patterson, 1992).…”