Community violence and associated problems in adolescents receiving child protection services
Youths exposed to violence, both within their family and their community, are at great risk to develop various adaptation problems. Considering their high prevalence to be exposed to violence, this population group, receiving services from youth welfare, is particularly vulnerable. This study examines the link between the exposure to community violence at age 14, internalized, externalized problems, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder reported at the age of 16 or 17 among 31 youths known to the Youth Protection Service since age 7 or younger. The data are collected with the help of the French versions of the Children’s Report of Exposure to Violence, of the Youth Self-Report (Child Behavior Checklist), the Primary Care PTSD Screen, the Social Support Questionnaire and the Youth Life Orientation Test, as well as by consulting the information database of the Centre jeunesse de Québec – Institut universitaire. Outcomes show an inverse relationship between the amount of abuse cases since childhood and the exposure to community violence. This last variable is associated with externalizing behaviors, while the amount of abuse cases is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Youths who are dealing with the more severe difficulties were most often victims of community violence. These results reveal an aspect that is not very well known and often ignored of the lives of youths in need of protection. Furthermore, the outcomes contribute to a better comprehension of the effects of the community violence in a context where abuse is an integral part of the history of youngsters’ victimization.