Coping Strategies that Moderate the Relationship Between Exposure to Neighborhood Violence and Self-Reported Delinquency Among Adolescents
The United States ranks first among all the industrialized nations in the world in regards to youth violence (Curriculum Review, 1997). Exposure to violence, by either direct or indirect means, can result in distress that poses a threat to the psychological well being of our nation's children and adolescents. Various symptoms of psychopathology such as delinquency may result. Five coping strategies were explored as moderators between exposure to violence and self-reported delinquency in order to answer the main research question - Do coping strategies moderate the relationship between self-reported delinquency and exposure to neighborhood violence in adolescents? In support of the main research question, two additional subsidiary questions were also explored:
(1) Is delinquency related to exposure to violence?
(2) What are the coping strategies adolescents use to successfully cope with the effects of violence exposure?
Date for this study came from an earlier study by Aber et al. (in press). Four measures were the focus on the current study: (1) a coping measure based on the Ways of Coping (Folkman, Lazarus, DeLongis, Dunkel_Schetter, & Gruen, 1986), (2) a danger questionnaire (Aber et al., in press), (3) a demographic questionnaire for age, gender, ethnicity, family, and employment information, and (4) a self-reported delinquency measure (Aber et al., in press). Data were analyzed through regression analyses in order to estimate the effect that these five coping strategies had on self-reported delinquency. An overall main effect was found for exposure to violence on self-reported delinquency along with two main effects for confrontive coping and seeking social support on self-reported delinquency. Interactions were found for seeking social support and planful problem solving, and exposure to violence on self-reported delinquency with positive re-appraisal yielding a trend.
(1) Is delinquency related to exposure to violence?
(2) What are the coping strategies adolescents use to successfully cope with the effects of violence exposure?
Date for this study came from an earlier study by Aber et al. (in press). Four measures were the focus on the current study: (1) a coping measure based on the Ways of Coping (Folkman, Lazarus, DeLongis, Dunkel_Schetter, & Gruen, 1986), (2) a danger questionnaire (Aber et al., in press), (3) a demographic questionnaire for age, gender, ethnicity, family, and employment information, and (4) a self-reported delinquency measure (Aber et al., in press). Data were analyzed through regression analyses in order to estimate the effect that these five coping strategies had on self-reported delinquency. An overall main effect was found for exposure to violence on self-reported delinquency along with two main effects for confrontive coping and seeking social support on self-reported delinquency. Interactions were found for seeking social support and planful problem solving, and exposure to violence on self-reported delinquency with positive re-appraisal yielding a trend.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Psychology
Research Advisor:
Mark Aber
Department of Research Advisor:
Psychology
Year of Publication:
2003