Witnessed community violence and antisocial behavior in high-risk, urban boys

Examined the longitudinal relation between children's self-report of witnes sing community violence,family environment and parent report of child antis ocial behavior in a sample of 6- to 10-year-old urban American boys (N = 97 ) at familial risk for antisocial behavior, Boys reported high rates of lif etime exposure to community violence. Boys' reports of witnessing community violence were significantly positively related to changes over 15 months i n child antisocial behavior even after controlling for the possible effects of 3 aspects of parent-child interactions shown previously to be related t o problematic child behavior Furthermore, family environment particularly t he degree to which parents engaged in conflict with their sons. moderated t he effect of witnessed violence on changes in antisocial behavior. In famil ies with low conflict, higher levels of witnessed violence predicted increa ses in antisocial behavior over time fn contrast, in families with relative ly high levels of parent-child conflict, high-witnessed violence had no add itional influence on antisocial outcome. This, is the first prospective: lo ngitudinal study to document an association between witnessed community vio lence and changes in antisocial behavior in young, urban boys at familial r isk for antisocial behavior.