title: A longitudinal study of substance use and violent victimization in adulthood among a cohort of urban African Americans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper examines the effects of experiencing violent victimization in young adulthood on pathways of substance use from adolescence to mid-adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data come from four assessments of an African American community cohort followed longitudinally from age 6 to 42 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cohort lived in the urban, disadvantaged Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago in 1966.
  
  
  METHODS
  All first graders from the public and parochial schools were asked to participate (n = 1242).
  
  
  METHODS
  Dependent variables-alcohol, marijuana and cocaine use-came from self-reports at age 42. Young adult violent victimization was reported at age 32, as were acts of violence, substance use, social integration and socio-economic resources. First grade risk factors came from mothers' and teachers' reports; adolescent substance use was self-reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Structural equation models indicate a pathway from adolescent substance use to young adult violent victimization for females and those who did not grow up in extreme poverty (betas ranging from 0.15 to 0.20, P < 0.05). In turn, experiencing violent victimization in young adulthood increased alcohol, marijuana and cocaine use, yet results varied by gender and early poverty status (betas ranging from 0.12 to 0.15, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Violent victimization appears to play an important role in perpetuating substance use among the African American population. However, within-group variations are evident, identifying those who are not raised in extreme poverty as the most negatively affected by violence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. edoherty@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Elaine Eggleston
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Kerry M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Fothergill
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ensminger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014504:Urban Health; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult