The Relationship Between Violence Exposure and Academic Achievement in African American Adolescents Is Moderated by Emotion Regulation

Abstract

Compared with other ethnic groups, African American adolescents are exposed to higher levels of family and community violence, which contribute to poorer academic achievement. This study examines whether emotion regulation moderates the effects of exposure to family and community violence on academic achievement among low-income African American adolescents. Eighty African American adolescents ( $\overline{X}$ age 12.89 years, 50% male) reported on their exposure to violence. Emotion regulation was obtained from parent reports and academic achievement was assessed with grades in core academic subjects at baseline and 2 years later. Results revealed that witnessing home violence predicted poorer achievement over time, as did exposure to community violence for youth with poor emotion regulation. Thus, well-developed emotion regulation skills may protect African American adolescents from the negative effects of witnessing community violence on academic achievement.