Community violence in neighborhoods and common mental disorders among Brazilian adolescents

BMC Psychiatry

Research

Washington Junger¹  Natalia Hellwig¹  Claudia de Souza Lopes¹  Katia Vergetti Bloch²  Claudia Reis Miliauskas³ 

[1] Institute of Social Medicine, State University of Rio de Janeiro, São Francisco Xavier Street, 524, Maracanã, 7 Floor, 20.550-013, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Institute of Studies in Public Health at Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro (IESC), Horácio de Macedo Avenue, no number, Ilha Do Fundão, 21941-598, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Medical Sciences College, Department of Medical Specialties, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Vinte E Oito de Setembro Avenue, 77, 4 Floor, 432. Vila Isabel, 20.551-030, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Institute of Social Medicine, State University of Rio de Janeiro, São Francisco Xavier Street, 524, Maracanã, 7 Floor, 20.550-013, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;

关键词: Mesh terms;    Violence;    Adolescent;    Mental health. no mesh terms;    Community violence;    Common mental disorders;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-023-05269-8

 received in 2023-03-11, accepted in 2023-10-09,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThis study aims to explore the association between exposure to neighborhood violence and the presence of common mental disorders (CMDs) among Brazilian adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. Additionally, we aim to analyze whether sex, age and race are modifiers of the effect of this association.MethodsThe study comprised 1,686 adolescents residing in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, situated in the Southeast region of Brazil. To measure exposure to community violence, we constructed three crime indicators using data from Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro: crimes against property, nonlethal crimes, and lethal crimes. Employing geospatial analysis based on the adolescents’ residence location, logistic regression modeling was performed to measure the association between violence and CMDs.ResultsAdolescents living in regions with higher rates of the three types of violence studied herein were more likely to have CMDs, with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 2.33 to 2.99. When stratified by sex, age and race, girls, older adolescents and blacks have a greater magnitude of effect on the measure of association, indicating a heightened risk for CMDs.ConclusionThis study provides important contributions to the public health field, as it reveals new information on the influence of community violence on the mental health of adolescents. Given the elevated rates of violence globally, knowing the effects of such violence on adolescents becomes crucial for the prevention and treatment of CMDs within this population.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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