The association of community violence exposure with middle-school achievement: A prospective study

Abstract

This study investigated the long-term effects of exposure to community violence on academic achievement and feelings of safety in school among a large sample of urban middle-school students (N = 759). It also considered the role of depressive symptoms and aggression as mediators of the effects, and the role of parent support in buffering adolescents from these effects of violence exposure. Different patterns of effects were found for exposure to violence as witnesses or as victims. Witnessing was associated with lower levels of academic achievement over time, and these longitudinal effects were not mediated by depressive symptoms or aggression, nor were they buffered by parent support. Victimization was not related to lower levels of academic achievement and was associated with feeling less safe in school over time only for boys who reported low levels of parent support. Intervention and policy implications highlight the importance of an ecological approach in intervening to boost the academic performance of urban children placed at risk. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.