Neighborhoods have long been recognized in theory and research as important contexts for child development. Children who are exposed to neighborhood violence are at increased risk for lower social competence and negative emotional or behavioral functioning.
Exposure to neighborhood violence may have direct and indirect effects on child outcomes. Other factors, such as maternal depression, may mediate the relationship by serving as the mechanism through which exposure to neighborhood violence leads to problem behavior in children.
This poster explores relationships between neighborhood violence, child behavior, and maternal depression in the FACES sample of 3,156 families (see Poster 1 for a complete description of sample). A broader set of family variables, as well as parents’ participation and experience in Head Start, will be tested to see if they moderate any negative outcomes.