ABSTRACT
Firearm violence is pervasive for Black early adolescents in disinvested urban communities. The current study used a subsample of a longitudinal school-based dataset (N = 479, ages 10–17, 100% Black), which included middle school students from three urban communities who completed surveys at two time points (Fall, Spring). Cross-lagged panel models were run to specify the directionality of relations between five firearm exposure items and four peer factors; multiple group models tested differences in paths by sex and by grade. Results indicated that community firearm violence exposure was associated with higher adolescent-reported peer delinquency and peer support for aggression; peer support for nonviolence with less exposure over time. Significant cross-lagged paths were identified for females and older adolescents, but less so for males and younger adolescents. Results may inform community-relevant firearm violence prevention, intervention efforts for middle-school adolescents living in disinvested communities with elevated community violence prevalence.