Exposure to community violence and post-traumatic stress symptoms: mediating factors

Abstract

Children's perceptions of safety and family conflict were examined as mediators of the relation between exposure to community violence and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Results indicated that exposure to community violence was related to perceptions of decreased neighborhood safety and increased family conflict, and that this, in turn, mediated the impact of violence exposure on children's post-traumatic stress symptoms. Implications for research are discussed.