title: Does community violence exposure predict trauma symptoms in a sample of maltreated youth in foster care?
abstract: Previous studies find that childhood exposure to family and community violence is associated with trauma symptoms. Few studies, however, have explored whether community violence exposure (CVE) predicts trauma symptoms after controlling for the effects associated with family violence exposure (FVE). In the current study, CVE and FVE were examined in a sample of 179 youth with a recent history of maltreatment. CVE was associated with trauma symptoms after controlling for FVE, but FVE was not associated with trauma symptoms after controlling for CVE. In addition, negative coping strategies (e.g., self-harm, interpersonal aggression) partially mediated the association between CVE and trauma symptoms. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for interventions aimed at addressing the needs of children exposed to violence.
authors.affiliation: The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado, Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Garrido.Edward@tchden.org
authors.forename: Edward F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Garrido
authors.forename: Sara E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Culhane
authors.forename: Tali
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Raviv
authors.forename: Heather N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Taussig
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012924:Social Conditions; D012931:Social Environment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology