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Violence Breeds Violence: Childhood Exposure and Adolescent Conduct Problems
Chelsea M Weaver1, John G Borkowski, Thomas L Whitman
1University of Notre Dame.
Journal of Community Psychology
|July 2, 2011
Summary
Childhood exposure to violence, including witnessing and victimization before age 10, predicts adolescent conduct problems. Social skills and depression in childhood moderate these risks for girls, impacting youth violence prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Criminology
Background:
- Childhood exposure to violence is a significant risk factor for later behavioral issues.
- Understanding the long-term impact of early violence exposure on adolescent development is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between childhood violence exposure (witnessing and victimization) and adolescent conduct problems.
- To examine the moderating roles of social competency and depression in this relationship for adolescent girls and boys.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 88 primiparous adolescent mothers and their children.
- Regression analyses were used to assess the predictive relationships.
- Moderation analyses explored the influence of social competency and depression.
Main Results:
- Witnessing and victimization before age 10 predicted adolescent delinquency and violent behaviors, independent of earlier problems.
- Lower social competency and higher depression in middle childhood increased delinquency risk for victimized girls.
- These moderating effects were not significant for boys.
Conclusions:
- Early violence exposure is a robust predictor of adolescent conduct problems.
- Social-emotional factors in childhood play a differential role in mediating risks for girls.
- Findings inform targeted interventions for youth violence prevention programs.
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