Significance of gender and age in African American children's response to parental victimization

This study examined gender and age differences in children's psychological response to parental victimization in a convenience sample of African American children. Thirty youths, ages six to 12, whose parents had been a victim of community violence (that is, gunshot or stabbing), and a control group of 30 children matched on variables of race, age, gender, and neighborhood served as the sample for this study. Parents completed a demographics sheet and the Child Behavior Checklist. Data were collected within six weeks of parental victimization. No significant difference was found in male and female youths' internalizing and externalizing behavior at ages six to eight. However, beginning at age nine there was a significant difference in behavior. Youths exposed to parental victimization internalized and externalized to a greater degree than those children who were not exposed. Males externalized more than females, and females internalized more than males. Thus, the perceived trauma response may vary as a function of the child's gender and developmental level or age. These findings suggest that gender-specific response related to trauma exposure may begin as early as age nine.