Effects of Cumulative Violence Exposure on Children’s Trauma and Depression Symptoms: A Social Ecological Examination Using Fixed Effects Regression

Abstract

Cumulative violence exposure is associated with poor child outcomes, but has not been investigated using a social ecological approach. Using National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being data, cumulative and differential effects of child violence exposure by ecological domains were modeled across two points using fixed effects regression. Children exposed to violence in more ecological domains over time reported increased trauma and depression symptoms. Similarly, direct victims of violence at baseline who experienced higher-order ecological domains of violence over time reported increased trauma and depression symptoms, but effects differed depending on the ecological domain. Results suggest that operationalizing cumulative violence exposure using ecological domains provides a different lens for studying the effects of violence exposure and expands the implications for intervention.