Traumatic Stress Among
Violence Exposed Youth

This study involves a short-term longitudinal investigation of the mental health consequences of exposure to violence on school-aged children. This study includes detailed analyses of different contexts in which violence occurs examination of factors that moderate children’s response to violence, and investigation of processes that mediated its effects on mental health and daily functioning. The central goals of the investigation are to (1) document the impact of violence in different contexts on posttraumatic stress reactions in children and (2) examine additional signs of functional impairment in school.

Two cohorts of high-risk urban children and their maternal caregivers participate in a two-year longitudinal follow-up. Children and their caregivers are seen during the summer preceding the target child’s entry into 4th grade. Children’s exposure to violence, cognitive and emotional processing, and family functioning are assessed at this time. In addition, several biobehavioral variables in children are assessed. In the fall assessments of children’s current level of symptomatology is obtained, as well as ratings of their experiences in school. At the end of the academic year, measures of children’s functioning in school are obtained including indicators of academic achievement, motivational orientation, and behavioral engagement.

All children and caregivers receive a similar battery of assessments two years later when the target child is in 6th grade in order to examine the effects of exposure to violence on symptomatology and functional impairment over time. Knowledge gained from this study will increase understanding of the effects of violence on children’s development. In particular, it will help identify (a) children who are especially vulnerable to violence and its negative effects and (b) modifiable processes that link exposure to violence with poor mental health outcomes in children. As a result, more targeted interventions can be designed that will help to reduce symptomatology and functional impairment in children exposed to violence.

Investigators
Jody Todd Manly, Michael Lynch

Special Thanks To Our Funder
National Institute of Mental Health