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

Community Violence Exposure in Young Adults

NCJ Number
201456
Journal
Trauma, Violence, & Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2003 Pages: 210-227
Author(s)
Angela Scarpa
Date Published
July 2003
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the findings of studies that have examined the lifetime prevalence of the exposure of young adults to community violence, both as victims and witnesses; the psychosocial outcomes of such exposure are also addressed.
Abstract
Surveys have found that the United States is one of the most violent Western industrialized countries, with higher rates reported in the 1970's to 1980's. This is reflected in high rates of lifetime exposure to violence among young adults, ranging from 76 percent to 82 percent for victimization and 93 percent to 96 percent for witnessing. Although the studies of lifetime prevalence of exposure to community violence for young adults have used relatively low-risk samples from rural areas, rates of exposure have been similar to those reported by youth in high-crime urban areas. The primary difference is apparently in the severity of violence experienced rather than its frequency; more life-threatening incidents have been reported in high-risk youth samples. Men have reported greater exposure to violence than women, with the exception of sexual assault and domestic violence; however, the impact of exposure to violence on psychological maladjustment is similar regardless of gender. Negative outcomes of exposure to violence include depressed mood, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, aggressive and criminal behavior, and interpersonal problems. Aggressive behavior as an outcome of exposure to violence may be related to stress-related rises in cortisol, which have been found to be predictive of aggression. Implications are drawn for practice, policy, and research. 97 references and 7 suggested future readings