title: Examining the moderating role of family cohesion on the relationship between witnessed community violence and delinquency in a national sample of adolescents.
abstract: Witnessed community violence has been linked to a number of internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents. Guided by Cicchetti and Lynch's (1993) ecological-transactional model, this study aimed to examine the impact that family-level factors had on negative outcomes associated with witnessed community violence. Using a nationally representative sample, we explored the moderational role of family cohesion in the relationship between witnessing community violence and delinquent behavior while taking demographic variables into account. Results from the investigation suggested that low levels of family cohesion were predictive of delinquency after controlling for race, gender, past delinquency, and direct trauma. In addition, the findings suggested that family cohesion moderated the impact of witnessed community violence on future delinquent behavior. Future directions for research and implications for practice were also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. barrsc@musc.edu
authors.forename: Simone C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: Rochelle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Begle
authors.forename: Dean G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Ananda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amstadter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data