Exposure to violence and presence of depression among low-income, African-American youth

Abstract

Distributional properties and correlates of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were presented for a sample (n = 221) of low-income, African-American youths between 7 and 18 years of age. The results showed that younger children and those living in a household without their mother reported more depressive symptoms. Regression analyses revealed that victims of violence reported more depressive symptoms. However, chronic exposure to violence, in the form of witnessing violent acts, was not significantly related to depression. On further inspection, it was discovered that witnessing violence had a negative effect on depression. This finding, although somewhat unexpected, may be the result of some youths possessing a set of extraordinary coping mechanisms that help to insulate them from negative environmental experiences.