Exposure to violence and mental health among Chinese American urban adolescents

Purpose: This cross-sectional study examined exposure to violence as a predictor of mental health and perpetration of violence in a sample of 71 Chinese American young adolescents from nine urban middle schools. Methods: Separate hierarchical multiple regressions were used to predict self-reported symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), perpetration of violence, and teacher-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and adaptive functioning. Results: After controlling for daily hassles, exposure to violence uniquely predicted higher self-reported PTSD and depressive symptoms. After controlling for prior academic achievement and daily hassles, exposure to violence uniquely predicted more perpetration of violence. Conclusions: Our study suggests that exposure to violence is associated with worse mental health and more perpetration of violence among Chinese American adolescents living in urban areas. (c) 2006 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.