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Violent experiences and neighbourhoods during adolescence: understanding and mitigating the association with mental health at the transition to adulthood in a longitudinal cohort study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Latham, RM; Arseneault, L; Alexandrescu, B; Baldoza, S; Carter, A; Moffitt, TE; Newbury, JB; Fisher, HL
Published in: Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
December 2022

Violence occurs at multiple ecological levels and can harm mental health. However, studies of adolescents' experience of violence have often ignored the community context of violence, and vice versa. We examined how personal experience of severe physical violence and living in areas with high levels of neighbourhood disorder during adolescence combine to associate with mental health at the transition to adulthood and which factors mitigate this.Data were from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study, a nationally representative birth cohort of 2232 British twins. Participants' experience of severe physical violence during adolescence and past-year symptoms of psychiatric disorder were assessed via interviews at age 18. Neighbourhood disorder was reported by residents when participants were aged 13-14. Potential protective factors of maternal warmth, sibling warmth, IQ, and family socio-economic status were assessed during childhood, and perceived social support at age 18.Personal experience of severe physical violence during adolescence was associated with elevated odds of age-18 psychiatric disorder regardless of neighbourhood disorder exposure. Cumulative effects of exposure to both were evident for internalising and thought disorder, but not externalising disorder. For adolescents exposed to severe physical violence only, higher levels of perceived social support (including from family and friends) were associated with lower odds of psychiatric disorder. For those who also lived in areas with high neighbourhood disorder, only family support mitigated their risk.Increasing support or boosting adolescents' perceptions of their existing support network may be effective in promoting their mental health following violence exposure.

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Published In

Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology

DOI

EISSN

1433-9285

ISSN

0933-7954

Publication Date

December 2022

Volume

57

Issue

12

Start / End Page

2379 / 2391

Related Subject Headings

  • Violence
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Psychiatry
  • Mental Health
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Cohort Studies
  • Adult
  • Adolescent
  • 5203 Clinical and health psychology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Latham, R. M., Arseneault, L., Alexandrescu, B., Baldoza, S., Carter, A., Moffitt, T. E., … Fisher, H. L. (2022). Violent experiences and neighbourhoods during adolescence: understanding and mitigating the association with mental health at the transition to adulthood in a longitudinal cohort study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 57(12), 2379–2391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02343-6
Latham, Rachel M., Louise Arseneault, Bianca Alexandrescu, Saffron Baldoza, Alysha Carter, Terrie E. Moffitt, Joanne B. Newbury, and Helen L. Fisher. “Violent experiences and neighbourhoods during adolescence: understanding and mitigating the association with mental health at the transition to adulthood in a longitudinal cohort study.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 57, no. 12 (December 2022): 2379–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02343-6.
Latham RM, Arseneault L, Alexandrescu B, Baldoza S, Carter A, Moffitt TE, et al. Violent experiences and neighbourhoods during adolescence: understanding and mitigating the association with mental health at the transition to adulthood in a longitudinal cohort study. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. 2022 Dec;57(12):2379–91.
Latham, Rachel M., et al. “Violent experiences and neighbourhoods during adolescence: understanding and mitigating the association with mental health at the transition to adulthood in a longitudinal cohort study.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 57, no. 12, Dec. 2022, pp. 2379–91. Epmc, doi:10.1007/s00127-022-02343-6.
Latham RM, Arseneault L, Alexandrescu B, Baldoza S, Carter A, Moffitt TE, Newbury JB, Fisher HL. Violent experiences and neighbourhoods during adolescence: understanding and mitigating the association with mental health at the transition to adulthood in a longitudinal cohort study. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. 2022 Dec;57(12):2379–2391.
Journal cover image

Published In

Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology

DOI

EISSN

1433-9285

ISSN

0933-7954

Publication Date

December 2022

Volume

57

Issue

12

Start / End Page

2379 / 2391

Related Subject Headings

  • Violence
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Psychiatry
  • Mental Health
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Cohort Studies
  • Adult
  • Adolescent
  • 5203 Clinical and health psychology