Community Violence and Trauma: The Moderating Role of Gender, Race and Sexual Orientation

Abstract

Although community violence exposure is associated with trauma symptoms, the research on the demographic factors that might amplify this risk in university students is still emerging. Additional data focused on identifying populations most at-risk for trauma secondary to community violence can support the development of outreach and intervention efforts more precisely. This study examines the relationship between community violence victimization and trauma symptoms and determines whether gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation moderates the relationship. The sample consisted of 499 undergraduate students who completed a demographic questionnaire, the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40, and the Survey of Exposure to Community Violence. At the bivariate level, gender, sexual orientation, and race were not associated with community violence victimization. Identifying as a woman and community violence victimization were positively related to trauma symptoms, while identifying as LGBTQA was negatively associated with trauma symptoms. Race was not associated with trauma symptoms. Moderation analyses indicated that identifying as a woman and identifying as LGBTQA strengthened the relationship between community violence victimization and trauma symptoms, while racial identity was not a significant moderator. We discuss implications, including the factors that may increase trauma symptom development for females and LGTBTQA survivors of community violence.