Effects of Exposure to Community Violence on Internalizing Symptoms: Does Desensitization to Violence Occur in African American Youth?

The purpose of the current study was to examine the linear and curvilinear associations of exposure to community violence
to internalizing symptoms in 251 African American adolescents (mean age = 12.86, SD = 1.28). Participants reported on exposure to community violence, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Regression analyses
were used to test the hypotheses and, consistent with predictions, the results indicated that the association between violence
and depression was curvilinear; whereas the association to anxiety was linear and positive. The results highlight the importance
of considering more complex models of the impact of exposure to community violence on psychological functioning in African
American youth from economically- disadvantaged communities.