Community Violence Exposure in a Young Adult Sample

Abstract

This study extends findings of the prevalence and consequences of community violence exposure in at-risk youth to a young adult and low-risk population. A total of 476 male and female university students (mean age = 20.26 years) completed a survey of lifetime exposure to community violence. Based on high and low reports of exposure as a witness or victim, 54 (mean age = 20.5) returned to complete questionnaires on depression, anxiety, and aggression. Of the full sample, 95.6% of respondents reported witnessing and 82% reported being victimized by some form of violence; 81.6% and 44.8% reported experiencing at least three different forms of violence as a witness or victim, respectively. Of the returning subsample, high- versus low-exposure groups reported significantly greater aggression and depression. These findings underscore the persistence of violence-related problems into young adulthood and the unfortunate prevalence of violence even among populations traditionally thought of as low risk.