Violence exposure in multiple interpersonal domains: cumulative and differential effects

Abstract

Purpose: To examine dose-response effects of cumulative violence exposure including parent-to-youth aggression, marital physical aggression, and community violence, and to explore whether separate interpersonal domains of exposure differentially influence adverse outcomes.

Methods: The present study uses parent-reports and child-reports of youth violence exposure from the first three waves of a prospective, longitudinal study of 103 community-based families. Outcomes were criterion levels (T score >or= 60) of somatic complaints, depressive symptoms, anxiety, over-arousal, aggression, delinquent behaviors, and presence versus absence of academic failure.

Results: After controlling for initial symptoms, income and parents' psychopathology, adjusted relative risks showed that marital aggression contributed uniquely to anxiety, and parent-to-youth aggression contributed uniquely to somatic complaints and aggression. All three domains significantly contributed to academic failure. With each one-point increase on the cumulative violence exposure index that summed across interpersonal domains and across time, there was an increased risk of more than 50% for meeting criterion levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety, and a 10%-25% increased risk for somatic complaints, delinquent behaviors, and academic failure. Significant curvilinear effects showed high cumulative violence increased risk of comorbid symptoms; 76% of youth with higher cumulative violence met thresholds on 3+ adverse outcomes, compared to 36% and 7% for youth with moderate and low violence exposure.

Conclusions: These data highlight the importance of assessing violence exposure across multiple interpersonal domains and across time. Awareness of the contributions of violence exposure to common symptoms and particularly comorbid symptoms can inform interventions for wide-ranging adolescent problems.

Figure 1. Cumulative violence exposure scores and mean number of negative outcomes reaching criterion levels

Youth potentially could be over the criterion level cutoff on 7 outcomes, including Somatic Complaints, Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, Over-arousal, Aggressive Behavior, Delinquent Behavior, and Academic Failure. Error bars represent standard error of the mean.