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Behavior Problems Among Adolescents Exposed to Family and Community Violence in Chile

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Family Relations / Family Relations Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies

Published online on

Abstract

Research that simultaneously examines the relationship of multiple types of family and community violence with adolescent outcomes is limited in the previous research literature, particularly in Latin America. This study examines the relationship of adolescent exposure to family and community violence—parental use of corporal punishment, violence in the community, intimate partner physical aggression—with eight subscales of the Youth Self Report among a Chilean sample of 593 adolescent–mother pairs. Results from multilevel models indicated a positive association between adolescent exposure to violence in the family and community, and a wide range of behavior problem outcomes, in particular, aggression. With growing evidence concerning the detrimental effect of violence on adolescent well‐being, these findings emphasize the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the various kinds of violence adolescents are exposed to within the family and community and the concomitant need to reduce multiple forms of violence.