Few researchers have explored future educational aspirations as a promotive factor against
exposure to community violence in relation to adolescents' violent behavior over time. The
present study examined the direct and indirect effect of exposure to community violence
prior to 9th grade on attitudes about violence and violent behavior in 12th grade, and
Measures
Exposure to community violence
Two items assessed whether a participant witnessed violence in the 12 months prior to 9th grade (e.g., How often have you
seen someone commit a violent crime where a person was hurt and How often have you seen someone get shot, stabbed, or beaten
up; r ¼ .52). Response options ranged from 1 (0 times) to 5 (4 or more times). Higher scores indicating more exposure to
community violence.
Future educational aspirations
Two items assessed participants' beliefs about their future educational aspirations in 9th grade (e.g., Howlikely is it that you
will graduate from high school and How likely is it that you will go to trade school or college?; r ¼ .44). Response options ranged
from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Very likely). Higher levels of future educational aspirations.
Attitudes about violence
Four items measured participants' attitudes about using violence to solve problems in 12th grade (e.g., Fighting is the best
way to solve problems). Response options ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Higher scores indicated more
acceptance of the use of violence to solve problems (Cronbach's a ¼ .76).
Violent behavior
In 12th grade, participants indicated how often they had engaged in each behavior during the preceding 12 months: gotten
into a fight at school, gotten into a fight outside of school, and hurt someone badly enough to need bandages or a doctor (3 items;
Cronbach's a ¼ .68). Response options ranged from 1 (0 times) to 5 (4 or more times). At age 22, participants indicated how
often they had engaged in each behavior during the preceding 12 months: gotten into a fight, hurt someone badly enough to
need bandages or a doctor, taken part in a group fight (3 items; Cronbach's a ¼ .79). Response options ranged from 1 (0 times) to
5 (4 or more times). Higher scores indicated more violent behavior.