Association Between Neighborhood Violence and Biological Stress in Children

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Abstract
Before the age of 18 years, approximately two-thirds of children are exposed to multiple types of violence.1 A greater understanding of the effect on children’s health owing to exposure to violence across socioecological contexts is critical, as differential exposure to social environmental conditions likely contributes mechanistically to health disparities.2,3 Socioeconomically disadvantaged communities have higher exposure to violence, suggesting that the effects of such exposure also may be accentuated.1,4 Exposure to violence may create persistent biological effects across multiple stress response systems (SRS), resulting in lasting physiological and psychological vulnerability.5,6 There has been limited information on racial and socioeconomic differences in biological stress and antecedent factors among children,7 and few studies have examined within-race or socioeconomic differences in biological stress.

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