Violence Exposure in Multiple Interpersonal Domains: Cumulative and Differential Effects

Abstract

Exposure of youth to violence in their families and communities is a serious societal problem because of the number of youth who experience violence and the documented toll of violence on youth's physical, emotional, and academic adjustment [1]. Approximately 5-16% of youth are recipients of parent's severe aggression or abuse, and over 50% experience minor parental aggression including corporal punishment [2]. Interparental aggression is experienced by 29% of youth in two-parent households [3], whereas community violence is directly experienced by 30-50% and witnessed by over 90% of youth [4].The need for integrated approaches to examining violence exposure arises from mounting evidence that children who experience violence in one domain have an increased likelihood of violence in other domains [5,6,7]. Hundreds of studies examining separate types of violence exposure show wide ranging negative outcomes including aggression and delinquency, emotional and mood disorders, post-traumatic stress symptoms, risk-taking behaviors, and compromised cognitive performance [8]. However, the compartmentalization of literatures on exposure to marital aggression, parent-to-child aggression, and community violence has limited our overall understanding of the impact of violence. The present study integrates these three interpersonal domains of violence exposure in two ways. First, using frequency counts, we examine whether different interpersonal domains of violence exposure are uniquely associated with specific symptoms. Second, we assess the impact of cumulative violence exposure that sums presence vs. absence of violence across domains and years.Direct comparisons linking specific violence exposure types with specific outcomes are relatively rare. In a study of youth receiving mental health services, community violence and maltreatment contributed uniquely to conduct disorders, whereas domestic violence did not, and community violence, but not maltreatment and domestic violence, predicted externalizing behavior [9]. In a sample of youth identified by child protective services, harsh physical discipline was associated with externalizing, whereas witnessing home violence was associated with internalizing behaviors [10]. A school-based study [11] examining school, home and neighborhood violence reported that school and home exposure predicted internalizing symptoms whereas only home exposure predicted delinquency and overt Corresponding Author: Gayla Margolin, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Psychology Department-SGM 930, 3620 McClintock, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, Telephone: 213-740-2308.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the con...

Toward an integrated approach in research on interpersonal violence : Conceptual and methodological challenges

“…The association was stronger for both men and women who reported cumulative violence than among other victims. This is in line with previous research (Messman-Moore et al, 2000;Tubman et al, 2004;Schumm et al, 2006;Turner et al, 2006;Romito and Grassi, 2007;Margolin et al, 2010). Also, the association between each kind of victimization and symptoms of psychological ill-health was overestimated if cumulative violence was not considered.…”

“…The associations between experiencing co-occurrence of violence in adulthood and ill-health have not been thoroughly investigated but have been reported to be associated with depression and anxiety in both sexes (Tubman, Montgomery, Gil and Wagner, 2004;Romito et al, 2005;Romito and Grassi, 2007;Margolin, Vickerman, Oliver and Gordis, 2010). …”

Prevalencia de exposición a violencia directa e indirecta: un estudio con adolescentes de colegios públicos

“…De fato, dados de estudos nacionais e internacionais têm evidenciado a alta exposição à violência na adolescência (Benetti et al, 2006;Benetti, Pizetta, Schwartz, Hass, & Melo, 2010;Benetti, Ramires, Schneider, Rodrigues, & Tremarin, 2007;Haynie, Petts, Maimon, & Piquero, 2009;Margolin, Vickerman, Oliver, & Gordis, 2010;Mrug & Windle, 2010;Souza et al, 2014;Williams, D'Affonseca, Correia, & Albuquerque, 2011;Waiselfisz, 2014). Por exemplo, dados do Mapa da violência contra crianças e adolescentes no Brasil indicaram que as mortes por causas externas (por acidentes e violência, geralmente, homicídios) têm aumentado se comparadas com as mortes por causas naturais (doenças, por exemplo).…”

The expression of personality among adolescents exposed to community interpersonal violence

“…Adolescents' exposure to community interpersonal violence is a serious problem since it is known that such exposure has negative consequences for the adolescent's physical, emotional and academic development (Cisler, Begle, Amstadter, Resnick, Danielson, Saunders, & Kilpatrick, 2012;Margolin, Vickerman, Oliver, & Gordis, 2010).…”

“…It is important to know whether the effect of violence on the psychological, biological and cognitive functioning of the adolescent (Margolin et al, 2010) influences the personality development of the adolescent.…”