Unpacking the Links Between Community Violence, Delinquency, and Illicit Substance Use Among College Students: The Role of PTSS and Code of the Streets

Abstract

ABSTRACT Community violence (CV) is a serious public health concern. To date, most of the existing research has focused on youth of color living in high-risk environments. The prior literature has shown that CV-exposed youth are at risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), delinquency, and substance use. CV has also been tied to beliefs about violence being an acceptable way of resolving conflict, referred to as the Code of the Streets (COS). It is unclear how the trajectories of other CV-exposed populations may differ from vulnerable youth, including college students who are in a developmental period associated with high-risk for violence exposure. The study objectives were therefore to: 1) examine the relations between CV and delinquency (i.e. gang involvement, arrest, weapon ownership) and illicit substance use, as well as 2) investigate whether there are indirect effects between CV and both delinquency and illicit substance use through PTSS and COS beliefs among college students. The sample included 547 students from two universities (M age = 20.31, SD = 2.08, Range = 18–28; 80.8% female; 57.8% White). CV was associated with delinquency and illicit substance use. COS beliefs had an indirect effect on the relation between CV and delinquency, but PTSS did not. Conversely, PTSS had an indirect effect on the link between CV and illicit substance use, but COS did not. College students are at risk for CV exposure and adverse outcomes. Interventions addressing PTSS and COS beliefs may be central to mitigating delinquent behaviors and illicit substance use in this population.