The acute effect of local homicides on children's cognitive performance

Abstract

This study estimates the acute effect of exposure to a local homicide on the cognitive performance of children across a community. Data are from a sample of children age 5-17 y in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. The effect of local homicides on vocabulary and reading assessments is identified by exploiting exogenous variation in the relative timing of homicides and interview assessments among children in the same neighborhood but assessed at different times. Among African-Americans, the strongest results show that exposure to a homicide in the block group that occurs less than a week before the assessment reduces performance on vocabulary and reading assessments by between approximately 0.5 and approximately 0.66 SD, respectively. Main results are replicated using a second independent dataset from Chicago. Findings suggest the need for broader recognition of the impact that extreme acts of violence have on children across a neighborhood, regardless of whether the violence is witnessed directly.

Fig. 1.

Effect on WISC-R scores of a recent homicide occurring within the block group, census tract, or neighborhood cluster, respectively, among African-Americans in the PHDCN. Coefficient values are shown for all block group estimates and for significant estimates at all levels. Sample sizes: Block group estimates are based on 2,294 assessments among 1,082 respondents; census tract estimates are based on 2,381 assessments among 1,106 respondents; and neighborhood cluster estimates are based on 2,393 assessments among 1,111 respondents. *P < 0.10; **P < 0.05; ***P < 0.01.

Fig. 2.

Effect on WRAT3 scores of a recent homicide occurring within the block group, census tract, or neighborhood cluster, respectively, among African-Americans in the PHDCN2. Coefficient values are shown for all block group estimates and for significant estimates at all levels. Sample sizes: Block group estimates are based on 2,296 assessments among 1,075 respondents; census tract estimates are based on 2,381 assessments among 1,099 respondents; and neighborhood cluster estimates are based on 2,392 assessments among 1,104 respondents. *P < 0.10.

Fig. 3.

Effect on Woodcock-Johnson letter-word scores of a recent homicide occurring within the block group, census tract, or neighborhood cluster, respectively, among African-Americans in the Three City Study Chicago sample. Coefficient values are shown for all block group estimates and for significant estimates at all levels. Sample sizes: Block group estimates are based on 342 assessments among 177 respondents; census tract and neighborhood cluster estimates are based on 348 assessments among 180 respondents. *P < 0.10; **P < 0.05.

Fig. 4.

Effect on Woodcock-Johnson Applied Problems scores of a recent homicide occurring within the block group, census tract, or neighborhood cluster, respectively, among African-Americans in the Three City Study Chicago sample. Coefficient values are shown for all block group estimates and for significant estimates at all levels. Sample sizes: Block group estimates are based on 341 assessments among 176 respondents; census tract and neighborhood cluster estimates are based on 347 assessments among 179 respondents. **P < 0.05; *P < 0.10; ***P < 0.01.