Exposure to community violence and internalizing symptoms: The risk of substance use in African American youth
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Community violence exposure increases substance use in African American adolescents. This substance use then heightens the risk for internalizing symptoms, regardless of gender.
Area Of Science
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background
- African American adolescents face disproportionate community violence exposure.
- This exposure is linked to increased substance use and internalizing symptoms.
- The mediating role of substance use in this pathway requires further investigation.
Purpose Of The Study
- To examine the association between community violence exposure and substance use.
- To investigate if substance use mediates the link between community violence and internalizing symptoms.
- To control for gender in the analysis of these relationships.
Main Methods
- Cross-sectional study design.
- Structural equation modeling (SEM) employed.
- Sample of 668 African American adolescents from low-resourced Chicago neighborhoods.
Main Results
- A positive association was found between community violence exposure and substance use.
- Substance use significantly mediated the relationship between community violence exposure and internalizing symptoms.
- These findings held true across genders.
Conclusions
- Substance use acts as a pathway linking community violence to internalizing symptoms in African American adolescents.
- Interventions addressing community violence and substance use are crucial for this population.
- Understanding these pathways can inform targeted mental health support.
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