Eiden | Nickerson | Lucke | Ostrov | Godleski | Schuetze | Wieczorek
This study examined developmental pathways to violence, victimization and substance use in adolescents exposed to high levels of community violence.
This was a multi-method, longitudinal study of developmental pathways to violence/victimization and substance use (VVSU) as risks for gun violence, in a sample characterized by high pre- and postnatal risks. The study focused on two major pathways. The first was a reactive aggressive pathway via high physiological and behavioral reactivity and low regulation in response to frustration from infancy to school age; reactive aggression, cognitive processes such as hostile attribution bias and substance use norms, peer bullying and victimization, and low parental monitoring in early adolescence, and continuing harsh parenting from infancy to adolescence. A second was a proactive aggression pathway with early exposure to violence and temperamental fearlessness in infancy predicting VVSU in later adolescence via low conscience and non-normative aggressive trajectories in childhood; proactive aggression, positive outcome expectancies for aggression and substance abuse, peer deviance, low parental monitoring, and parental support for aggression in early adolescence, and exposure to harsh parenting from infancy to adolescence. The role of community risk factors (e.g., activity space, high crime neighborhoods) were examined as potential predictors, mediators, or moderators of risk. Finally, exploratory analyses focused on protective factors predicting resilience, reciprocal associations over time, and gender differences.
Principal Investigators
Rina Das Eiden, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions
Amanda Nickerson, PhD
Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention
University at Buffalo
Co-Investigators
Joeseph Lucke, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions
Jamie Ostrov, PhD
Department of Psychology
University at Buffalo
Stephanie Godleski, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions
Pamela Schuetze, PhD
Buffalo State College
William Wieczorek, PhD
Buffalo State College
