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Inward‐ and Outward‐Directed Violence in the Lives of Urban Minority Adults Followed from Middle School into Their Thirties
Author(s) -
O'Donnell Lydia,
Vrba Eric,
Miller Melanie,
Dash Kim,
Kar Heidi,
Reed Gerald A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1002/ajcp.12408
Subject(s) - aggression , suicidal ideation , psychology , psychological intervention , suicide prevention , poverty , health psychology , poison control , demography , domestic violence , clinical psychology , injury prevention , feeling , cycle of violence , psychiatry , medicine , public health , social psychology , environmental health , sociology , political science , nursing , law
This study explores connections between inward‐directed violence and outward‐directed violence using data from the Reach for Health sample, which was originally recruited in the 1990s from three middle schools in economically distressed, predominantly African American neighborhoods of New York City. Now in their thirties, participants ( N = 595) completed surveys assessing current suicidal thoughts and behaviors as well as other violence involvements, including intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration. About 10% of males and females reported any suicidal ideation or attempt in the past 12 months. In logistic regression analyses adjusting for sociodemographics, prior reports of feeling blue in middle school ( OR : 1.12, CI : 1.02–4.39) and young adult suicidality ( OR : 2.54, CI : 1.30–4.95) are significantly related to later suicidality. So are concurrent aggressive behaviors, including reports of physical fighting outside the home ( OR : 2.70, CI : 1.29–5.67) and IPV perpetration ( OR : 2.09, CI : 1.11–3.94). Neither IPV victimization nor witnessing neighborhood violence is correlated. Findings shed light on the persistence of suicidality in the lives of those who come of age, and often remain, in communities with high levels of poverty, and confirm linkages of suicidality with externally directed aggression. Life‐stage interventions are needed to counter the interwoven causes and consequences of multiple forms of violence.