U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Exposure to Drug Trafficking Among Urban, Low-Income African American Children and Adolescents

NCJ Number
180226
Journal
Pediatric Adolescent Medicine Volume: 153 Dated: February 1999 Pages: 161-168
Author(s)
Xiaoming Li Ph.D.; Bonita Stanton M.D.; Susan Feigelman M.D.
Date Published
1999
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined the association between exposure to drug trafficking (selling or delivering drugs) and exposure to other forms of community violence and risk behaviors among urban, low-income African-American children and adolescents.
Abstract
The study setting involved 10 public housing developments in a large eastern city in the United States. Participants were 349 urban, low-income African-American children and adolescents (198 boys and 151 girls), aged 9 to 15 years. The study design was a community-based, cross-sectional survey. The primary outcome measures were exposure to drug trafficking and other forms of community violence (as either a victim or a witness); risk behaviors/perceptions, including risk-taking/delinquency; drug use; perpetration of violence or other crimes; threats to school achievement; and perceived peer involvement. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine whether exposure to drug trafficking is a risk factor that is distinct from other exposure to violence. Multivariate analysis of variance and chi-square tests were performed to assess the relationship between exposure to drug trafficking and other forms of community violence and risk behaviors/perceptions. Compared with children and adolescents who had not been exposed to drug trafficking, those who were so exposed reported more risk-taking and delinquent behaviors, drug use, threats to achievement, and a perception of more peer involvement in these risk behaviors. 6 tables and 19 references