Protective factors related to community violence exposure

Thesis (M.A., Psychology) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2010.An increasing number of communities have been plagued with greater levels of violence,\ud which, in turn, have negatively impacted youth. Exposure to community violence can\ud lead to internalizing problems, aggressive and delinquent behaviors and academic\ud difficulties for youth. Youth are forced to deal with violence in their communities which\ud impacts routines such as going to and from school, creating additional burdens and\ud complicating their ability to navigate through the educational system. Social support has\ud been demonstrated to aid in resiliency for youth exposed to violence. In the present study\ud one hundred fifty nine high school youth were surveyed. Those students who were\ud exposed to higher levels of violence experienced greater levels of internalizing behaviors,\ud externalizing behaviors and academic difficulties. Support for social support as a\ud protective factor had mixed results.Psycholog