Mr. Cooleyquille et al., EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF CHILDRENS EXPOSURE TO COMMUNITY VIOLENCE - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34(10), 1995, pp. 1362-1368
Objective: To use multiple methods and measures to investigate prelimi
narily the emotional impact of children's exposure to community violen
ce. Method: Thirty-seven schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 12 y
ears were categorized into groups with ''high'' or ''low'' frequency o
f exposure. Results: Differing levels of exposure to community violenc
e did not appear to have an impact on DSM-III-R diagnoses. Exposure to
high levels of community violence was not related to internalizing be
havior and disorders, but rather was associated with externalizing beh
avior. Conclusions: There appears to be an adverse relationship betwee
n high levels of exposure to community violence and emotional and cond
uct problems. Vicarious learning serves as an explanatory construct fo
r these findings.