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Community violence exposure and severe posttraumatic stress in suburban American youth: risk and protective factors

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Abstract

Purpose

The psychological effects of community violence exposure among inner-city youth are severe, yet little is known about its prevalence and moderators among suburban middle-class youth. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of community violence exposure among suburban American youth, to examine associated posttraumatic stress and to evaluate factors related to severe vs. less severe posttraumatic stress, such as co-existing internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as the effects of teacher support, parental warmth and support, perceived neighborhood safety and conventional involvement in this context.

Method

Data were collected from 780 suburban, predominantly Caucasian middle-class high-school adolescents in the Northeastern US during the Social and Health Assessment (SAHA) study.

Results

A substantial number of suburban youth were exposed to community violence and 24 % of those victimized by community violence developed severe posttraumatic stress. Depressive symptoms were strongly associated with higher levels and perceived teacher support with lower levels of posttraumatic stress.

Conclusion

Similar to urban youth, youth living in suburban areas in North American settings may be affected by community violence. A substantial proportion of these youth reports severe posttraumatic stress and high levels of comorbid depressive symptoms. Teacher support may have a protective effect against severe posttraumatic stress and thus needs to be further assessed as a potential factor that can be used to mitigate the detrimental effects of violence exposure.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

The study has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and has therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden

    Sandra Löfving–Gupta, Frank Lindblad & Vladislav Ruchkin

  2. Stockholm Centre on Health of Societies in Transition (SCOHOST), Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden

    Andrew Stickley

  3. Child Study Center, Yale University Medical School, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Mary Schwab-Stone & Vladislav Ruchkin

  4. Säter Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, 783 27, Säter, Sweden

    Vladislav Ruchkin

Authors
  1. Sandra Löfving–Gupta
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  2. Frank Lindblad
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  3. Andrew Stickley
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  4. Mary Schwab-Stone
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  5. Vladislav Ruchkin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vladislav Ruchkin.

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Löfving–Gupta, S., Lindblad, F., Stickley, A. et al. Community violence exposure and severe posttraumatic stress in suburban American youth: risk and protective factors. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 50, 539–547 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0965-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0965-2

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