Examining Parental Processes and Psychological Distress Outcomes of Children's and Adolescents' Exposure to Violence in a Nationally Representative Sample
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Children and adolescents living in the United States are at a higher risk than adults of witnessing or becoming victims of violence. Exposure to violence has been associated with a number of negative effects such as increased risk of juvenile delinquency, poor cognitive outcomes, and psychoaffective disorders. Previous research has found that parental processes, such as supervision and warmth, may decrease these negative psychological effects. The current cross-sectional study analyzed how parental characteristics (warmth, supervision, and refraining from criticism) mediated psychological distress among children and adolescents in a nationally representative sample (N = 1,490). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test if mediation existed between parental characteristics, psychological distress, and exposure to violence among children 3-to-9-years-old and adolescents 10-to-17-years-old. Refraining from criticism and supervision was the only parental characteristic among children that partially mediated anxiety, depression, and anger, when exposed to the three types of violence (community violence, assault, and maltreatment). No significant effect was observed in the adolescent sample.
Author: Ivette Noriega
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2255877413