Violence Exposure and Early Adolescent Alcohol Use: An Exploratory Study of Family Risk and Protective Factors

Abstract

In this short-term longitudinal exploratory interview study, the relations between exposure to community violence and subsequent alcohol use were examined, with a focus on caregiver and family variables as moderators. Maternal caregivers and their children (N =101 families; 98% African American; M child age = 11.2 yrs) were interviewed separately and completed measures of violence exposure, caregiver and child adjustment, including substance use, and family functioning. Family interaction was also videotaped and coded. Child alcohol use at Time 2 was positively associated with all forms of violence exposure, and was negatively related to felt acceptance from caregiver, but was not associated with caregiver-rated family competence, observer-rated family interaction, maternal problems with alcohol, or maternal psychopathology. Logistic regression analyses predicting child alcohol use at Time 2 indicated that exposure to community violence increased risk of alcohol use, and felt acceptance from the caregiver decreased the likelihood of alcohol use, but did not buffer the effects of violence exposure on alcohol use. Implications and future directions are discussed.KEY WORDS: violence exposure; adolescents; alcohol use; family risk and protective factors.Exposure to community violence among inner-city youth is associated with a host of adjustment difficulties (Lynch, 2003), including internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology, impairments in memory and cognition, and substance use and abuse.

Exposure to violence, substance use, and neighborhood context

“…A growing body of research has suggested that victimization, both witnessing violence (sometimes referred to as “indirect victimization”) and directly experiencing violence, increases the likelihood of smoking, drinking, and using illegal drugs among adolescents alcohol and other drug use (Kilpatrick et al, 2000; Kilpatrick et al, 2003; Lin et al, 2011; Sullivan et al, 2004; Taylor and Kliewer, 2006; Vermeiren et al, 2003; Zinzow et al, 2009). However, some literature suggests that substance use can increase victimization and/or that the two have reciprocal effects (Jennings et al, 2012; Thompson et al, 2008; Zhang et al, 2001), which emphasizes the need to examine the relationship using longitudinal data to better establish temporal ordering.…”

Victimization Experiences and Adolescent Substance Use

“…Some studies have solely examined indirect victimization (Kliewer et al, 2006; Kliewer & Murrelle, 2007), others have focused only on direct victimization (Brady, Tschann, Pasch, Flores, & Ozer, 2009; Simantov, Schoen, & Klein, 2000), and some have combined indirect and direct victimization into a single measure of victimization (Buka et al, 2001; Thompson, Sims, Kingree, & Windle, 2008). The few studies that have examined both forms of victimization typically assess the impact of each independently (Albus, Weist, & Perez-Smith, 2004; Berenson, Wiemann, & McCombs, 2001; O'Donnell, Schwab-Stone, & Muyeed, 2002; Taylor & Kliewer, 2006; Vermeiren, Schwab-Stone, Deboutte, Leckman, & Ruchkin, 2003) and have rarely assessed the unique or relative effects of each of these different victimization experiences (but see Acosta, Albus, Reynolds, Spriggs, & Weist, 2001; Fowler, Tompsett, Braciszewski, Jacques-Tiura, & Baltes, 2009; Sullivan et al, 2007). Despite Agnew's (2002) suggestion that different victimization experiences should be controlled for simultaneously in statistical analyses to prevent overestimating the effects of one form of victimization, empirical studies have largely failed to do so.…”

Understanding the Potential Long-term Physical and Mental Health Consequences of Early Experiences of Victimization

“…While the research on CONSEQUENCES OF EARLY EXPERIENCES OF VICTIMIZATION 569 consequences of property crime victimization is more limited, violent victimization has been related to posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and depression (Breslau, Davis, Peterson, & Schultz, 2000;Pimlott-Kubiak & Cortina, 2003;Taylor & Kliewer, 2006). Additionally, Koss and colleagues (1991) found victims' physician visits increased 13-22% more than nonvictims and that their overall health costs were 2.5 times greater due to adverse health effects of their victimization.…”