Psychology of Violence, Vol 16(1), Jan 2026, 32-42; doi:10.1037/vio0000604
Objective: This study longitudinally examined the links between two forms of neighborhood violence (community violence exposure and sexual harassment) and Latinx adolescents’ posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms and tested whether mother– and father–child cohesion moderated these relations over time. Method: Our sample included 416 Latinx adolescents (Mage = 15.5) from families with low household incomes residing in Midwestern U.S. cities across two waves. Results: Longitudinal moderation path analyses revealed that sexual harassment, but not witnessing violence or personal victimization, was positively linked to adolescents’ PTSD symptoms 1 year later. A significant main effect of father–child cohesion on adolescents’ depressive symptoms showed that greater father–child cohesion was associated with lower depressive symptoms 1 year later. While neither mother– nor father–child cohesion moderated the relations between community violence exposure, sexual harassment, and adolescents’ PTSD and depressive symptoms in a statistically significant manner, there was some evidence that mother–child cohesion was promotive on the influence of sexual harassment on PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Findings highlight the urgency of addressing neighborhood-based sexual harassment and exploring the unique effects that the quality of parent–adolescent relationships can have on violence-exposed youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)