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Juvenile crime and violent victimization continue to be significant social problems, in that adolescents, females in particular, are likely to participate in health-related risk behaviors as a result of having been victimized or exposed to a violent environment. Specifically, abuse, neglect, sexual molestation, poverty, and witnessing violence are well-known risk factors for the development of trauma-related psychopathology and poor outcomes relative to delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, and HIV risk behaviors. HIV infection is a common public health concern, disproportionately affecting adolescent African American female detainees. This unique population has a serious history of violence exposure, which subsequently tends to lead to engaging in risky sexual behaviors, mental health problems, and substance abuse. Also, as a result of little to no intervention, this population is recidivating at an alarming rate--a problem that may further exacerbate the expression of health-related risk behaviors among African American adolescent female detainees. The authors briefly describe a pilot program to be implemented in the juvenile justice system that is based on the model of accumulated risk, Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, and the positive youth justice model. The program proposes to reduce risky sexual behaviors, teach alternatives to abusing substances, treat mental health concerns, and reduce the rate of recidivism through "positive youth development." Tying elements of wraparound services and reeducation together, this program addresses salient concerns that may have an impact on an adolescent detainee's success following their release from prison. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

This article reviews and examines findings on the impact of racial discrimination on the development and functioning of children of color in the US. Based on current definitions of violence and child maltreatment, exposure to racial discrimination should be considered as a form of violence that can significantly impact child outcomes and limit the ability of parents and communities to provide support that promotes resiliency and optimal child development. In this article, a conceptual model of the effects of racial discrimination in children of color is presented. The model posits that exposure to racial discrimination may be a chronic source of trauma in the lives of many children of color that negatively influences mental and physical outcomes as well as parent and community support and functioning. Concurrent exposure to other forms of violence, including domestic, interpersonal and/or community violence, may exacerbate these effects. The impact of a potential continuum of violence exposure for children of color in the US and the need for future research and theoretical models on children's exposure to violence that attend to the impact of racial discrimination on child outcomes are discussed.

This study tested a conceptual model that integrates structural and psychological determinants of HIV prevention for African American women. The sample consisted of African American mothers (N = 129) of children in Head Start programs. Higher levels of perceived stress were associated with higher levels of HIV risk; higher levels of perceived racism were related to higher HIV prevention behavior. A combined psychological functioning score, representing levels of depression and anger, significantly moderated the relationships of perceived stress and racism to prevention behavior. This study confirms the importance of interactions between sociostructural factors and psychological factors as predictors of health behavioral outcomes and reinforces the need to examine the impact of structural factors on psychological functioning, perceived HIV risk, and HIV prevention behavior in African American women.

Psychological assessments were conducted for 23 Black and 19 Latino sexually abused girls (ages 8-13). Latino girls received significantly higher scores for depression, and they were more likely to have been abused at a younger age or by a relative, or to have had a sibling abused. Latinos also reported higher levels of family conflict and lower levels of maternal support. (Author/DB)

This study examined the factor structure of the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire in a sample of African-American, Euro-American, Asian, and Hispanic children. The sample consisted of 304 children (141 boys, 163 girls) 3- and 4-yr.-old and enrolled in Head Start. A principal component analysis with a varimax rotation was conducted and two- and three-factor solutions were extracted. A two-factor solution produced a clear interpretive structure representing Fowler and Park's 1979 Aggressive-Hyperactive-Distractible and Anxious-Fearful factors. Even though a three-factor solution was statistically appropriate, extracting more than two factors yielded dimensions difficult to interpret. Examination of subscale differences among ethnic groups indicated significant group effect for ethnicity. Further examination showed that Euro-American children are rated significantly higher on the Anxious subtest than Latino, African-American, and Asian children, but there were no other subscale differences. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Objective: The present study was designed to examine the extent to which ethnic differences in the circumstances of abuse would be related to psychological outcomes and whether the relationship of ethnicity to psychological outcomes would be independent of ethnic differences in the circumstances of abuse. Method: Ethnic differences in the circumstances of the abuse, depression, and anger, as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, were assessed in 60 Black and Latino sexually abused males aged 13 to 18 years. Factors related to levels of depression and anger in these two groups were also identified. Results: Latino males were more likely to have been sexually abused by an extended family member, experienced more genital fondling, and were exposed to more sexually abusive behaviors. Blacks were more likely to be abused by an immediate family member. Black males had higher anger scores than Latino males, but, there were no ethnic differences in depression scores. Both ethnicity and the relationship to the perpetrator were significantly related to scores on the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, however, ethnicity was also significantly related to anger scores irrespective of the relationship to the perpetrator. Conclusions: Ethnic differences in the circumstances of abuse were related to psychological outcome and the relationship of ethnicity to anger scores was independent of ethnic differences in the circumstances of abuse. Key Words - Black, Latino, Assessment, Sexual abuse.

Health promotion behaviors were examined in a sample of low-income, Black and Latino women. Latino women were more likely than Black women to eat a daily breakfast; sleep 7-8 hours per night and abstain from alcohol and tobacco use. Black women were more likely to be eating vegetables on a regular basis and exercising at least once per week. The results suggest that low-income Latino women may need to increase their consumption of vegetables and frequency of exercise. Among Black women, a wider range of healthy lifestyle behaviors such as sleeping eight hours per night, eating a daily breakfast and decreasing alcohol and tobacco consumption may need to be emphasized.

This study examined the associations between different types of violence victimization and psychological functioning in South African adolescents. Both differential and cumulative effects of violence were investigated. A multi-ethnic (Black, White, people of mixed heritage, and people of Indian/Asian descent) sample of adolescents in secondary schools in the Western Cape Province (N = 1,574; boys = 46.5%, girls = 53.5%; M age = 16 years) completed a survey on their experiences of exposure to violence (across different contexts and polyvictimization) and their levels of hopelessness, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and suicidal ideation. The results showed that indirect and direct victimization in the community, and indirect political victimization were consistent predictors for adverse psychological functioning, whereas victimization in home and school contexts did not emerge to be significant. Polyvictimization had a consistent linear effect on psychological symptoms. Interventions in South Africa should focus on addressing the psychological effects of community and political victimization on adolescents. Adopting a holistic treatment approach would be useful to gain a comprehensive understanding of adolescents' victimization experiences and maximize the impact of support to enhance their psychological functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The association between violence exposure and health risk behaviours in South African adolescents, and the moderating role of emotion dysregulation were investigated. Design: A multi-ethnic sample of adolescents (N = 925: boy: 47.3%, girl: 52.7%, M age = 16 years, SD = 1.54) completed a survey. Main outcome measures: Violence exposure across different contexts (home-, school-, community-, political victimisation), emotion dysregulation (inability to regulate sadness and anger) and a composite measure of health risk behaviours (smoking, substance use, risky sexual behaviour) were examined. Results: Boys reported more risk behaviours than girls, t (844) = 5.25, p < 0.001. Direct community victimisation was a predictor for boys' risk behaviours, B = 0.22, p < 0.001. Indirect school victimisation and direct community victimisation were predictors for girls' risk behaviours, B's = 0.19, p's < 0.01. Girls reported higher emotion dysregulation than boys, t (748) = −2.95, p < 0.01. Only for girls, emotion dysregulation moderated the associations of indirect home victimisation, B = 16, p < 0.01, and direct community victimisation, B = 15, p < 0.05, with risk behaviours. Conclusion: Interventions may target emotion regulation skills, particularly for girls, to enhance resilience to the negative effects of violence on behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports a study which examined the association between ethnic identity and sexual coercion among Black African men in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The results revealed that men with high cultural affiliation were significantly less likely to sexually coerce someone. The findings suggest that emphasizing cultural commitment may reduce sexual coercion, though findings need to be replicated.

Young minority mothers are particularly vulnerable to depression associated with community-level or contextual stressors such as violence exposure and ethnic discrimination. This study explores whether human and social capital act as buffers of the associations between such stressors and maternal depression. Among a sample of 230 urban, African American mothers, who were teenagers when their preschool-age children were born, both being a victim of violence and experiencing ethnic discrimination predicted increased depressive symptoms, and higher educational attainment predicted fewer symptoms. Ethnic identity moderated the association between witnessed violence and maternal depression, and community cohesion moderated the association between ethnic discrimination and depression. Social support protected against depressive symptoms associated with witnessed violence but seemingly exacerbated depression associated with victimization. The specific roles that forms of human and social capital play in moderating the effects of contextual stressors suggest the need for nuanced programmatic efforts to reduce maternal depression among young African American mothers living in violence-prone, urban neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the article the authors examine the relationship between conventional moral belief and drug problem recognition in African-American, Hispanic-American and non-Hispanic drug users in the United States. After adjustment for demographic, psycho-social, and drug use severity factors that might have confounded this relationship, conventional moral belief was significantly associated with drug problem recognition among African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans but not among Whites. The particular relevance of conventional moral belief among Non-whites may reflect cultural values emphasizing collective identity and/or religiosity. Non-whites may be more inclined than Whites to view recovery as a process of claiming or reclaiming moral standing in a community of conventional others. The authors while trying to analyze the situation, moving away from the "ethnic gloss," found wide variability in endorsement of moral belief within each group and between group differences in the relevance of moral belief for the outcome of interest, namely drug problem recognition.