A study was conducted to determine predictors of high
risk/delinquent behavior and psychoemotional maladjustment in 1,478
sixth and eighth graders who took part in a survey of high-risk and
adaptive behaviors. The first goal was to determine the extent to which
two distinct dimensions of alienation, normlessness, and
isolation/self-estrangement mediated the emergence of maladjustment in
youth exposed to community violence. The second goal was to distinguish
between violence witnessing and violence victimization, and determine
whether these subtypes of violence exposure may differentially affect the
proposed mediational factors. The results indicated that normlessness
partially mediated the relationship between violence exposure and
high-risk/delinquent behavior and between violence exposure and
psychoemotional maladjustment. Isolation/self-estrangement partially
mediated the relation between violence exposure and psychoemotional
maladjustment. Although witnessing of, and victimization by, violence were
both significant predictors of normlessness, only violent victimization
was significantly linked to isolation/self-estrangement. These results
elucidate the mechanisms by which community violence exposure may exert
negative influences on youth and suggest that there are distinct patterns
of risk associated with different forms of exposure.This research was facilitated by the support of the William T.
Grant Foundation and the Harris Program on Social Policy. The authors
gratefully acknowledge the New Haven Public Schools, especially
Superintendent Dr. Reginald Mayo and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Verdell
Roberts. The authors thank Drs. Alan Kazdin, Joseph Mahoney, and Edward
Zigler for their helpful feedback on earlier versions of this
manuscript.