Characterizing the relationship between violence exposure and academic performance

2011-07-19The present study attempts to characterize the relationship between exposure to community violence and academic performance during late childhood and adolescence. Using longitudinal data, this study examined the influence of timing and chronicity of violence, in addition to cross-sectional relationships. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder were also evaluated as potential moderators of the relationship between violence exposure and academics. Results indicate that community violence is strongly associated with poorer academic outcomes across late childhood and adolescence with both concurrent and prospective effects. Chronic violence exposure was also associated with poorer academic outcomes. Finally, reexperiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder were found to moderate the relationship between violence exposure and academics. Implications of these results for helping violence-exposed youth, particularly within the academic domain, are discussed