In this study, the terms "community violence" or "neighborhood violence" are used interchangeably to denote violence that occurs in the child's environment but outside the home and between or among individuals who are not members of the child's family. Most of the literature that explores the effects of exposure to community violence on the psychological development of children focuses on the effects of a single violent event. For children who live in communities with high rates of violent crime, exposure to a violent event is rarely a one-time experience, however. Research on the effects of chronic exposure to violence has largely focused on children in war zones. In their review of the literature on this subject, Garbarino et al. point to several areas in which children may manifest the effects of repeated exposure to violence. They have impaired intellectual development, underdeveloped moral judgment, insensitivity or indifference to danger, and identification with perpetrators and outcomes of violence. Concurrent with the literature on the effects of violence on children, there is also a body of research on factors that may mitigate the harmful effects of exposure to violence on children. Research that has investigated both the degree of emotional distress and the developmental or adaptational success of children in dangerous neighborhoods has shown that even when children are distressed about violence in their neighborhood, they may still develop normally if their families are stable and supportive (Richters and Martinez, 1993). The mediation factors that are most protective are the physical availability of parents, protection and physical safety, support in working through traumatic events, experiences that foster moral development, and models of positive coping. Also discussed are obstacles to parental support, maladaptive influences of family factors, conditions to promote adaptive influences, and future research. 32 references