TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Making meaning of community violence among adolescents: associations between exposure, pro-violence attitudes and psychological symptoms
JO  - Journal of community psychology
A1  - Muradwij, Nawal
A1  - Allwood, Maureen
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - This study examined one type of adolescent meaning making (i.e., the development of beliefs about violence) and its association with reported mental health symptoms in a sample of youth exposed to community violence. Eighty-seven adolescents (age 11-18; 64.4% female) from a metropolitan city in the Northeast were recruited through Craigslist and recreation center postings and data collection occurred from 2009 to 2013. Participants completed self-reported measures of community violence exposure, attitudes toward violence, and psychological symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]. Bivariate correlations, hierarchical linear regressions, and mediation analyses examined the associations between exposure, beliefs about violence, and mental health symptoms. Self-reported pro-violence attitudes were positively correlated with depression symptoms (r = 0.32, p < 0.01) and PTSD (r = 0.45, p < 0.01). Pro-violence attitudes significantly mediated the relationship between community violence exposure and depression symptoms (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.003-0.061) and PTSD symptoms (95% CI = 0.046-0.260). Preliminary findings suggest that meaning making through the development of pro-violence attitudes may not protect against symptoms of PTSD and depression among youth. <br><br>FINDINGS can inform the integration of meaning making processes into community mental health interventions for youth.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0090-4392
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22717
ID  - ref1
ER  -