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Hoven CW, Krasnova A, Bresnahan M, Sun X, Musa G, Geronazzo-Alman L, Ryan M, Skokauskas N, Amsel L, Svob C, Goodwin RD, Zemeck H, Cheslack-Postava K. Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities in COVID-19 Pandemic Worries. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2024:10.1007/s40615-024-02093-y. [PMID: 39017774 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-02093-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores whether these disparities extend to the content of worries. METHODS We surveyed 1,222 participants from three metropolitan New York City (NYC) based cohorts through telephone interviews conducted from March to September 2020. Worries were assessed using 37 dichotomous questionnaire items, and exploratory factor analysis derived ten categories of worry. Factor scores were analyzed in generalized linear mixed models to examine their associations with race/ethnicity and household income, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS The most prevalent worry items pertained to U.S. and world politics, American values, health concerns, and return to normalcy. Higher household income was associated with lower worry about economic needs, job/employment, and violence/victimization, while violence/victimization worries were strongly associated with Asian, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial or other race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS During early COVID-19, lower-income and minoritized race and ethnic groups were disproportionately affected by economic and violence/victimization worries, while other worries showed minor variations by income or race/ethnicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina W Hoven
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna Krasnova
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michaeline Bresnahan
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiaoxiao Sun
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - George Musa
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lupo Geronazzo-Alman
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Megan Ryan
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Norbert Skokauskas
- Department of Mental Health, Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare (RKBU Central Norway), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Lawrence Amsel
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Connie Svob
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Renee D Goodwin
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heather Zemeck
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Keely Cheslack-Postava
- Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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2
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Novak A, Semenza D, Gutman C, Heard-Garris N, Testa A, Jackson DB. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trajectories of Firearm Exposure in Childhood. J Pediatr 2024; 270:114008. [PMID: 38479639 PMCID: PMC11176024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2024.114008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the longitudinal relationship between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in early life and trajectories of firearm exposure from early to middle childhood (ages 5-9 years old). STUDY DESIGN Data from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LOGSCAN) study were used. The LONGSCAN study was a prospective study in the United States and contained data from 1354 children from age 4 to age 18 years old. Exposure to ACEs was measured through the wave 1 interview (age 5 years old) and trajectories of firearm exposure were created using data from waves 1 (age 5 years old) and two (age 9 years old). RESULTS Two trajectories of firearm exposure in childhood were identified: a low exposure group and a group with persistently-high firearm exposure from ages 5 to 9 years old. ACEs were associated with membership in the high exposure group and children with four or more ACEs had over twice the odds of membership in the high exposure group compared with children with zero ACEs. CONCLUSION ACEs exposure in early childhood is associated with persistently-high exposure to firearms from early to middle childhood. This finding highlights the need for pediatricians to consider screening for both ACEs and firearm exposure in routine examinations, as well as the need for future research to identify and evaluate interventions intended to address exposure to adversity and firearms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Novak
- Department of Criminal Justice & Legal Studies, University of Mississippi, University, MS.
| | - Daniel Semenza
- Camden College of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ
| | - Colleen Gutman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Nia Heard-Garris
- Division of Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care, Department of Pediatrics, Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research, and Evaluation Center, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Alexander Testa
- Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
| | - Dylan B Jackson
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
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3
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Bruns A, Aubel AJ, Zhang X, Buggs SA, Kravitz-Wirtz N. Community exposure to gun homicide and adolescents' educational aspirations. J Adolesc 2024; 96:1137-1152. [PMID: 38584575 DOI: 10.1002/jad.12324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Witnessing violence and violent victimization have detrimental effects on adolescents' emotional functioning and ability to envision and plan for their futures. However, research is limited on the impact of violence that occurs in adolescents' communities-whether or not it was witnessed or experienced firsthand. This paper investigated the associations between community exposure to gun homicide and adolescents' high school and college graduation aspirations. METHODS We analyzed data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3031), a cohort study of children born 1998-2000 in 20 large US cities, merged with incident-level data on deadly gun violence from the Gun Violence Archive (2014-2017). Outcomes were reported by adolescents (girls and boys) during wave 6 (2014-2017) of the study, conducted when the children were 15 years of age. We employed ordinary least squares regression, ordered logistic regression, and multilevel stratification to examine the average and heterogeneous impacts of community exposure to gun homicide on adolescents' educational aspirations. RESULTS Community exposure to gun homicide was associated with reduced high school graduation aspirations, particularly among adolescents with the lowest risk of exposure to gun homicide. Gun homicide exposure was also associated with increased college graduation aspirations; this association was concentrated among adolescents with moderate-high risk of exposure. CONCLUSIONS Given the importance of education for job opportunities and the better health that accompanies education and occupational attainment, preventing early exposure to gun violence and providing institutional supports to help adolescents facing adversity realize their goals is essential to their long-term health and success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Bruns
- Department of Sociology & Criminology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, USA
| | - Amanda J Aubel
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Xiaoya Zhang
- Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
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4
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Semenza DC, Silver IA, Stansfield R, Bamwine P. Local gun violence, mental health, and sleep: A neighborhood analysis in one hundred US Cities. Soc Sci Med 2024; 351:116929. [PMID: 38733888 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Community gun violence significantly shapes public health and collective well-being. Understanding how gun violence is associated with community health outcomes like mental health and sleep is crucial for developing interventions to mitigate disparities exacerbated by violence exposure. OBJECTIVE This study examines the associations between community gun violence , insufficient sleep, and poor mental health across neighborhoods in the United States. METHODS We utilized a novel database covering nearly 16,000 neighborhoods in 100 US cities from 2014 through 2019. Correlated trait fixed-effects models were employed to conduct all analyses while considering various neighborhood covariates such as concentrated disadvantage, demographic composition, population density, and proximity to trauma centers. RESULTS Our analysis revealed that greater gun violence is associated with both insufficient sleep and poor mental health in subsequent years. There is a reciprocal relationship between poor mental health and insufficient sleep, with each partially mediating the other's association with community gun violence. Notably, gun violence exhibits the strongest direct association with poor sleep rather than with poor mental health. We found a consistent reciprocal relationship between sleep and mental health at the community level. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight a complex interplay between community violence, sleep, and mental health, underlining the importance of reducing community violence through numerous long-term interventions to address health disparities across the US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Semenza
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Rutgers University - Camden, NJ, USA; Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, Rutgers University, NJ, USA.
| | - Ian A Silver
- Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Richard Stansfield
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Rutgers University - Camden, NJ, USA
| | - Patricia Bamwine
- College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
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5
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Mueller-Williams AC, Coughlin LN, Goldstick JE. Unpacking Firearm Access and Firearm Violence Exposure Among American Indian or Alaskan Native and Black Adults. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e240020. [PMID: 38436961 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lara N Coughlin
- Addiction Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Michigan Innovations in Addiction Care Through Research and Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Injury Prevention Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Jason E Goldstick
- Injury Prevention Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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6
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Magee LA, Ortiz D, Macy JT, Tolliver S, Alvarez-Del-Pino J, Kaur A, Spivey E, Grommon E. Identifying overlaps and disconnects between media reports and official records of nonfatal firearm injuries in Indianapolis, Indiana, 2021-2022. Prev Med 2024; 180:107892. [PMID: 38342384 PMCID: PMC10919894 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.107892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Open-source data systems, largely drawn from media sources, are commonly used by scholars due to the lack of a comprehensive national data system. It is unclear if these data provide an accurate and complete representation of firearm injuries and their context. The study objectives were to compare firearm injuries in official police records with media reports to better identify the characteristics associated with media reporting. METHODS Firearm injuries were identified in open-source media reports and compared to nonfatal firearm injury (n = 1642) data from official police records between January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Events were matched on date, location, and event circumstances. Four multivariate, multi-level mixed effects logistic regression models were conducted to assess which survivor, event, and community characteristics were associated with media reporting. Data were analyzed 2023 - January 2024. RESULTS Media reported 41% of nonfatal shootings in 2021 and 45% in 2022(p < 0.05), which is approximately two out of every five shootings. Shootings involving multiple survivors, children, and self-defense were more likely to be reported, whereas unintentional shootings and shootings that occurred in structurally disadvantaged communities were less likely to be reported. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that relying on media reports of firearm injuries alone may misrepresent the numbers and contexts of shootings. Public health interventions that educate journalists about these important issues may be an impactful firearm violence prevention strategy. Also, it is critical to link data systems at the local level to ensure interventions are designed and evaluated using accurate data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Magee
- Indiana University Indianapolis, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 801 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, United States.
| | - Damaris Ortiz
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, 545 Barnhill Dr, Emerson Hall, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States; Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital Smith Level One Trauma Center, 720 Eskenazi Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
| | - Jonathan T Macy
- Indiana University Bloomington, School of Public Health, 1025 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Savannah Tolliver
- Indiana University Indianapolis, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 801 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, United States
| | - Jara Alvarez-Del-Pino
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University, 340 W 10(th) St, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
| | - Amarpreet Kaur
- Indiana University Indianapolis, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 801 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, United States
| | - Erin Spivey
- Indiana University Indianapolis, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 801 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, United States
| | - Eric Grommon
- Indiana University Indianapolis, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 801 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, United States
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7
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Semenza DC, Hamilton JL, Testa A, Jackson DB. Individual and cumulative firearm violence exposure: Implications for sleep among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native adults. Ann Epidemiol 2024; 91:18-22. [PMID: 38244953 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2024.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE We investigated the relationship between various forms of firearm violence exposure and sleep problems among nationally representative samples of Black (N = 3015) and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) (N = 527) adults, focusing on difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking too early. Survey data were collected in April and May 2023. METHODS We employed negative binomial regression models to analyze the associations between the different types of firearm violence exposure and sleep problems. We further examined associations between cumulative firearm violence exposure and sleep outcomes. RESULTS A substantial proportion of Black (59%) and AI/AN (56%) adults reported experiencing some form of firearm violence exposure. Being threatened with a firearm emerged as a consistent factor associated with sleep problems for both racial groups. Witnessing or hearing about shootings was linked to sleep problems in the Black sample, while cumulative firearm violence exposure was associated with all sleep problems in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Individual and cumulative firearm violence exposure is associated with increased sleep problems among Black and AI/AN adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Semenza
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ, USA; Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA; New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
| | | | - Alexander Testa
- Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dylan B Jackson
- Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, MD, USA
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Shipley J, Donnelly M, Kuza C, Grigorian A, Swentek L, Chin T, Brown N, Nguyen N, Nahmias J. Domestic firearm violence against women (2018-2021). Surg Open Sci 2024; 17:75-79. [PMID: 38298436 PMCID: PMC10828568 DOI: 10.1016/j.sopen.2024.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Over 50 % of US female homicides occur during domestic violence, with half involving firearms. Public health measures to control COVID-19 may have isolated individuals with abusive partners at a time when firearm sales and new firearm ownership surged. This study sought to evaluate trends in domestic firearm violence (DFV) over time, hypothesizing that rates of DFV increased in the wake of COVID-19. Materials and methods A retrospective query of the Gun Violence Archive (2018-2021) was conducted for incidents of DFV. The primary outcome was the number of DFV-related shootings. Statistical testing, including one-way and two-way ANOVAs, was performed to compare monthly rates of DFV over time and to compare DFV per 100,000 women in states with strong versus weak gun laws. Results Average monthly DFV incidents rose nationwide during this study's time period, though injuries and fatalities did not. States with weaker gun laws had increased incidents, deaths, and injuries from 2018 to 2021 (all p<0.05). In a two-way ANOVA, stronger gun laws were associated with fewer incidents of DFV when compared with weaker gun law states. We also found that the use of a long gun in DFV more often resulted in a victim's death when compared to a handgun (p<0.01). Conclusion DFV incidents increased over time. States with weaker gun laws bore the brunt of the violence, demonstrating that DFV may be curtailed through legislative efforts. Methods of injury prevention aimed at preventing and reducing domestic violence and improving firearm safety may curtail DFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Shipley
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Megan Donnelly
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Kuza
- Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Department of Anesthesia, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Areg Grigorian
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Lourdes Swentek
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Theresa Chin
- Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Department of Anesthesia, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nolan Brown
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Ninh Nguyen
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Jeffry Nahmias
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Orange, CA, USA
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Aubel AJ, Bruns A, Zhang X, Buggs S, Kravitz-Wirtz N. Neighborhood collective efficacy and environmental exposure to firearm homicide among a national sample of adolescents. Inj Epidemiol 2023; 10:24. [PMID: 37296449 DOI: 10.1186/s40621-023-00435-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Living near an incident of firearm violence can negatively impact youth, regardless of whether the violence is experienced firsthand. Inequities in household and neighborhood resources may affect the prevalence and consequences of exposure across racial/ethnic groups. FINDINGS Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study and the Gun Violence Archive, we estimate that approximately 1 in 4 adolescents in large US cities lived within 800 m (0.5 miles) of a past-year firearm homicide during 2014-17. Exposure risk decreased as household income and neighborhood collective efficacy increased, though stark racial/ethnic inequities remained. Across racial/ethnic groups, adolescents in poor households in moderate or high collective efficacy neighborhoods had a similar risk of past-year firearm homicide exposure as middle-to-high income adolescents in low collective efficacy neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS Empowering communities to build and leverage social ties may be as impactful for reducing firearm violence exposure as income supports. Comprehensive violence prevention efforts should include systems-level strategies that jointly strengthen family and community resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Aubel
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
| | - Angela Bruns
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, Gonzaga University, 502 E Boone Ave, Spokane, WA, 99258, USA
| | - Xiaoya Zhang
- Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 1604 McCarty Drive, PO Box 110310, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Shani Buggs
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
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10
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Buggs SA, Lund JJ, Kravitz-Wirtz N. Voicing narratives of structural violence in interpersonal firearm violence research and prevention in the United States. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1143278. [PMID: 37333568 PMCID: PMC10272797 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1143278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Violence is defined as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation." Encompassed in this definition are multiple, interrelated forms of violence, including interpersonal firearm death and injury, but also the systems, policies, and practices enacted by those with power to advantage some groups while depriving others of meaningful opportunities for meeting their basic needs-known as "structural violence". Yet dominant violence prevention narratives too often ignore or deemphasize the deeply intertwined threads of structural violence with other forms of violence, leading to policies and practices that are frequently insufficient, and often harmful, for reducing interpersonal firearm violence and building community safety, particularly in minoritized and structurally marginalized communities. We highlight ways in which limited scrutiny of structural violence, the omission of its defining characteristics-power and deprivation-from functional characterizations and frameworks of interpersonal firearm violence, and the inadequate distribution of power and resources to those most impacted by violence to self-determine narratives of and solutions to interpersonal firearm violence grossly impacts how interpersonal firearm violence is collectively conceived, discussed, and addressed. Expanding dominant narratives of interpersonal firearm violence, guided by the wisdom and determination of those most impacted, such that the goal of prevention and intervention efforts is not merely the absence of violence but rather the creation of a community safety and health ecosystem is essential to meet this critical moment in firearm violence research and prevention.
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Gobaud AN, Mehranbod CA, Kaufman E, Jay J, Beard JH, Jacoby SF, Branas CC, Bushover B, Morrison CN. Assessing the Gun Violence Archive as an Epidemiologic Data Source for Community Firearm Violence in 4 US Cities. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2316545. [PMID: 37266937 PMCID: PMC10238941 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Firearm injury is a major public health burden in the US, and yet there is no single, validated national data source to study community firearm violence, including firearm homicide and nonfatal shootings that result from interpersonal violence. Objective To assess the validity of the Gun Violence Archive as a source of data on events of community firearm violence and to examine the characteristics of individuals injured in shootings. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional observational study compared data on community firearm violence from the Gun Violence Archive with publicly available police department data, which were assumed to be the reference standard, between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2020. Cities included in the study (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Cincinnati, Ohio) had a population of greater than 300 000 people according to the 2020 US Census and had publicly available shooting data from the city police department. A large city was defined as having a population greater than or equal to 500 000 (ie, Philadelphia, New York City, and Chicago). Data analysis was performed in December 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures Events of community firearm violence from the Gun Violence Archive were matched to police department shootings by date and location. The sensitivity and positive predictive value of the data were calculated (0.9-1.0, excellent; 0.8-0.9, good; 0.7-0.8, fair; 0.6-0.7, poor; and <0.6, failed). Results A total of 26 679 and 32 588 shooting events were documented in the Gun Violence Archive and the police department databases, respectively, during the study period. The overall sensitivity of the Gun Violence Archive over the 6-year period was 81.1%, and the positive predictive value was 99.0%. The sensitivity steadily improved over time. Shootings involving multiple individuals and those involving women and children were less likely to be missing from the Gun Violence Archive, suggesting a systematic missingness. Conclusions and Relevance These findings support the use of the Gun Violence Archive in large cities for research requiring its unique advantages (ie, spatial resolution, timeliness, and geographic coverage), albeit with caution regarding a more granular examination of epidemiology given its apparent bias toward shootings involving multiple persons and those involving women and children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana N. Gobaud
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Christina A. Mehranbod
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Elinore Kaufman
- Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
| | - Jonathan Jay
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jessica H. Beard
- Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sara F. Jacoby
- School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Charles C. Branas
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Brady Bushover
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Christopher N. Morrison
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia
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12
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Heterogeneous effects of spatially proximate firearm homicide exposure on anxiety and depression symptoms among U.S. youth. Prev Med 2022; 165:107224. [PMID: 36029922 PMCID: PMC10388845 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The burden of firearm homicide in the United States is not evenly distributed across the population; rather, it disproportionately affects youth in disadvantaged and marginalized communities. Research is limited relevant to the impacts of exposure to firearm violence that occurs near where youth live or attend school - spatially proximate firearm violence - on youths' mental health and whether those impacts vary by characteristics that shape youths' risk for experiencing that exposure in the first place. Using a dataset linking the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study with the Gun Violence Archive (N = 3086), we employed propensity score matching and multilevel stratification to examine average and heterogeneous associations between spatially proximate firearm homicide exposure and anxiety and depression among all youth and then separately for boys and girls. We found a statistically significant average association between firearm homicide exposure and symptoms of depression among youth. Furthermore, heterogeneous effects analyses yielded evidence that the average association is driven by youth, and particularly boys, who are the most disadvantaged and have the highest risk of firearm homicide exposure. The results of this study suggest that the accumulation of stressors associated with structural disadvantage and neighborhood disorder, coupled with exposure to spatially proximate and deadly firearm violence, may make boys and young men, particularly Black boys and young men, uniquely vulnerable to the mental health impacts of such exposure. Ancillary analyses of potential effect moderators suggest possible future areas of investigation.
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Martin R, Rajan S, Shareef F, Xie KC, Allen KA, Zimmerman M, Jay J. Racial Disparities in Child Exposure to Firearm Violence Before and During COVID-19. Am J Prev Med 2022; 63:204-212. [PMID: 35418336 PMCID: PMC8921002 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Childhood exposure to neighborhood firearm violence adversely affects mental and physical health across the life course. Study objectives were to (1) quantify racial disparities in these exposures across the U.S. and (2) assess changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, when firearm violence increased. METHODS The study used counts of children aged 5-17 years, disaggregated by U.S. Census racial category, for every census tract (N=73,056). Neighborhood firearm violence was the number of fatal shootings per census tract, based on 2015-2021 Gun Violence Archive data. Quasi-Poisson regressions were used to estimate baseline disparities and COVID-19‒related changes and examined differences across geographic regions. RESULTS Prepandemic exposure was lowest among White children and highest among Black children, who experienced 4.44 times more neighborhood firearm violence exposure (95% CI=4.33, 4.56, p<0.001) than White children. The pandemic increased exposure by 27% in the lowest risk group (i.e., White children; 95% CI=20%, 34%, p<0.001), but pandemic effects were even greater for children in nearly all non-White categories. Baseline violence levels and racial disparities varied considerably by region, with the highest levels in the South and the largest magnitude disparities observed in the Northeast and Midwest. CONCLUSIONS Large-scale racial disparities exist in child exposure to neighborhood firearm violence, and these disparities grew during the pandemic. Equitable access to trauma-informed programs, community-based prevention, and structural reforms are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Martin
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sonali Rajan
- Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Faizah Shareef
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kristal C Xie
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kalice A Allen
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marc Zimmerman
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Jonathan Jay
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
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14
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Kravitz-Wirtz N, Bruns A, Aubel AJ, Zhang X, Buggs SA. Inequities in Community Exposure to Deadly Gun Violence by Race/Ethnicity, Poverty, and Neighborhood Disadvantage among Youth in Large US Cities. J Urban Health 2022; 99:610-625. [PMID: 35672546 PMCID: PMC9172977 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-022-00656-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the burden of gun violence among youth is a public health imperative. While most estimates are based on direct and witnessed victimization, living nearby gun violence incidents may be consequential too. Yet detailed information about these broader experiences of violence is lacking. We use data on a population-based cohort of youth merged with incident-level data on deadly gun violence to assess the prevalence and intensity of community exposure to gun homicides across cross-classified categories of exposure distance and recency, overall and by race/ethnicity, household poverty, and neighborhood disadvantage. In total, 2-18% of youth resided within 600 m of a gun homicide occurring in the past 14-365 days. These percentages were 3-25% for incidents within 800 m and 5-37% for those within a 1300-m radius. Black and Latinx youth were 3-7 times more likely, depending on the exposure radius, to experience a past-year gun homicide than white youth and on average experienced incidents more recently and closer to home. Household poverty contributed to exposure inequities, but disproportionate residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods was especially consequential: for all racial/ethnic groups, the difference in the probability of exposure between youth in low vs high poverty households was approximately 5-10 percentage points, while the difference between youth residing in low vs high disadvantage neighborhoods was approximately 50 percentage points. Given well-documented consequences of gun violence exposure on health, these more comprehensive estimates underscore the importance of supportive strategies not only for individual victims but entire communities in the aftermath of gun violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
| | - Angela Bruns
- Department of Sociology & Criminology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, USA
| | - Amanda J Aubel
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Xiaoya Zhang
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Shani A Buggs
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
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15
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Hemenway D, Shawah C, Lites E. Defensive gun use: What can we learn from news reports? Inj Epidemiol 2022; 9:19. [PMID: 35778756 PMCID: PMC9250204 DOI: 10.1186/s40621-022-00384-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the past decade, most people who buy and own guns are doing so for self-defense. Yet little is known about actual defensive gun use in the USA. Methods To discover what information newspaper articles and local news reports might add, we read the news reports of defensive use incidents assembled by the Gun Violence Archive. We examined a sample of more than a quarter of the incidents from 2019, the last year before the pandemic. We examined all cases from four months—January, April, July, and October. We created a typology of defensive gun use incidents. Results Of 418 incidents, in about half, the perpetrator was armed with a firearm. In almost 90% of the cases, the victim fired their firearm—315 perpetrators were shot and about half of them died. The average number of perpetrators shot per incident was 0.75; the average number of victims shot was 0.25. We estimate that in 2019 fewer than 600 potential perpetrators were killed in defensive gun use incidents that made the news. Among the thirteen categories of shooting were drug-related (4% of incidents), gang-like combat (6%), romantic partner disputes (11%), escalating arguments (13%), store robberies (9%), street robberies (5%), unoccupied vehicle theft (5%), unarmed burglaries (7%), home invasions (20%), and miscellaneous (6%). Conclusion We believe the Gun Violence Archive dataset includes the large majority of news reports of defensive gun use—and especially those in which the perpetrator is shot and dies. Some of the strengths of using news reports as a data source are that we can be certain that the incident occurred, and the reports provide us with a story behind the incident, one usually vetted in part by the police with occasional input from the victims, perpetrator, family, witnesses, or neighbors. Defensive gun use situations are quite diverse, and among the various categories of defensive gun use, a higher percentage of incidents in some of the categories seemed far less likely to be socially beneficial (e.g., drug-related, gang-like, escalating arguments) than in others (e.g., home invasions).
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hemenway
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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16
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Gard AM, Brooks-Gunn J, McLanahan SS, Mitchell C, Monk CS, Hyde LW. Deadly gun violence, neighborhood collective efficacy, and adolescent neurobehavioral outcomes. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac061. [PMID: 35837024 PMCID: PMC9272173 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Gun violence is a major public health problem and costs the United States $280 billion annually (1). Although adolescents are disproportionately impacted (e.g. premature death), we know little about how close adolescents live to deadly gun violence incidents and whether such proximity impacts their socioemotional development (2, 3). Moreover, gun violence is likely to shape youth developmental outcomes through biological processes-including functional connectivity within regions of the brain that support emotion processing, salience detection, and physiological stress responses-though little work has examined this hypothesis. Lastly, it is unclear if strong neighborhood social ties can buffer youth from the neurobehavioral effects of gun violence. Within a nationwide birth cohort of 3,444 youth (56% Black, 24% Hispanic) born in large US cities, every additional deadly gun violence incident that occurred within 500 meters of home in the prior year was associated with an increase in behavioral problems by 9.6%, even after accounting for area-level crime and socioeconomic resources. Incidents that occurred closer to a child's home exerted larger effects, and stronger neighborhood social ties offset these associations. In a neuroimaging subsample (N = 164) of the larger cohort, living near more incidents of gun violence and reporting weaker neighborhood social ties were associated with weaker amygdala-prefrontal functional connectivity during socioemotional processing, a pattern previously linked to less effective emotion regulation. Results provide spatially sensitive evidence for gun violence effects on adolescent behavior, a potential mechanism through which risk is biologically embedded, and ways in which positive community factors offset ecological risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna M Gard
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
- Teachers College and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sara S McLanahan
- Department of Sociology and Public Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, and Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Colter Mitchell
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Christopher S Monk
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Luke W Hyde
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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James S, McLanahan S, Brooks-Gunn J. Contributions of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to Child Development. ANNUAL REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 3:187-206. [PMID: 35721627 PMCID: PMC9205571 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-050620-113832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We describe the promise of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) for developmental researchers. FFCWS is a birth cohort study of 4,898 children born in 1998-2000 in large US cities. This prospective national study collected data on children and parents at birth and during infancy (age 1), toddlerhood (age 3), early childhood (age 5), middle childhood (age 9), adolescence (age 15), and, in progress, young adulthood (age 22). Though FFCWS was created to understand the lives of unmarried parent families, its comprehensive data on parents, children, and contexts can be used to explore many other developmental questions. We identify six opportunities for developmentalists: (a) analyzing developmental trajectories, identifying the importance of the timing of exposures for later development, (c) documenting bidirectional influences on development, (d) understanding development in context, (e) identifying biological moderators and mechanisms, and ( f ) using an urban-born cohort that is large, diverse, and prospective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah James
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - Sara McLanahan
- Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
- Teachers College and College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Ranney
- Emergency Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.,School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.,Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
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