J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2018;11(4):411-420. doi: 10.1007/s40653-018-0218-8. Epub 2018 Jun 2.

Community Violence and Associated Psychological Problems Among Adolescents in the General Population.

Dubé C1,2, Gagné MH1, Clément MÈ3, Chamberland C4.

Author information

1

1School of Psychology, Université Laval, 2325 rue des Bibliothèques, Pavillon Félix-Antoine-Savard 11ème étage, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6 Canada.

2

2Present Address: Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval, Québec City, Canada.

3

3Psychology and Psychoeducation Department, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Saint-Jérôme, Canada.

4

4School of Social Work, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.

Abstract

Based on a populational survey conducted among 1400 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years old, the aim of this study is to assess the relationships between their community violence experiences and their psychological health (anger, depressive symptoms, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms). One MANOVA confirms that both boys and girls who report at least one incident of physical community violence present more psychological difficulties, especially anger. Subsequent MANOVAs show that anger intensity varies depending on whether the youth was a direct victim or a witness only, as well as on the diversity of the types of violent manifestations and on acquaintance with the perpetrator, whereas the presence of injuries has no significant effect. This study highlights the importance of considering the context of the community violence incident, to clearly understand its relationships with the youth's psychological difficulties.