Paths of resilience: A contextual-moderator analysis of exposure to community violence and behavioral functioning among inner city youth

Given that community violence has had the most profound impact on low-income teenagers, determination of the contributors to children's optimal development in the face of community violence is imperative (Osofsky, 1997). The present study proposed an ecological and resilience model that delineates the relative contribution of community, familial, and individual factors to the functioning of inner city youth. It was hypothesized that community violence is associated with internalizing and externalizing behavior in addition to social competence. Among children exposed to violence, individual characteristics were hypothesized to play a stronger direct and protective role than the family, and the family was hypothesized play a stronger role than the community.;One hundred and twenty-seven subjects (55% female, 45% male, M = 12.33 years) were administered structured interviews at a junior high school in an inner city. The interviews addressed community violence, emotion regulation and socialization, parental and peer relationship quality, community center participation, collective efficacy (i.e., neighborhood control and trust), and behavioral functioning. Results revealed that children exposed to more community violence are more likely to exhibit internalizing and/or externalizing behavior than those exposed to less community violence. Contrary to expectations, community violence was not directly related to social competence.;When examined as a group, familial and community moderators were stronger than individual moderating variables in their impact on the relation between community violence and behavioral functioning. The strongest factors that help children exposed to community violence are parents who support their children's expression of negative emotions and a strong connection to a community center program which promote competence. In turn, perceived collective efficacy seems to promote internalizing behavior for children in violent neighborhoods. No moderating variables reached statistical significance in the externalizing behavior model. Familial variables exerted the strongest direct effect on behavioral functioning. Parental negative socialization of children's expression of emotions demonstrated a positive, direct effect on all three outcomes. Limitations in methodology and suggestions for future research are addressed.