title: From violence exposure to development of sexual risk in low-income urban girls: the role of psychopathology.
abstract: This longitudinal study examined psychopathology as an explanatory mechanism linking childhood violence exposure (CVE) to sexual risk in 177 African American girls recruited from mental health clinics serving low-income communities in Chicago. Beginning at average age 14, girls completed five interviews over 2 years and a sixth assessment including trauma history. CVE reflected sexual, physical, or witnessed violence before age 12. Latent growth modeling accounted for developmental change across the six time points. Externalizing, but not internalizing, symptoms mediated the pathway from CVE to number of partners (indirect effect = .16, 95 % CIBCBS = .04-.29) and inconsistent condom use (indirect effect = .11, CIBCBS = .004-.21). Externalizing problems associated with CVE may help to explain its relationship with sexual risk in low-income, treatment-seeking African American girls. Behavioral interventions addressing aggression, impulsivity, and general risk-taking may be most effective in reducing sexual risk in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305-5718, USA, hwilson3@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Helen W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pettineo
authors.forename: Alexus
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Edmonds
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.forename: Geri R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Donenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D002641:Chicago; D000069581:Exposure to Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D014505:Urban Population