Community Violence Exposure during Adolescence, Future Depressive Symptoms and Civic Participation

Background: Since the 1970s, rates of civic participation among young adults in the US have been declining, drawing considerable research attention. Recent studies have explored a number of possible determinants of civic participation. Community violence exposure (CVE) during adolescence has been shown to predict not only decreased volunteering, but also increased depressive symptoms in young adulthood. The exact nature of the relationship between depressive symptoms and civic participation, however, remains largely unknown. Using longitudinal data, this study explored the interconnections among adolescent CVE and depressive symptoms and civic participation in young adulthood.

Methods: This study used a nationally representative sample originally collected through in-home interviews across Waves I, II, and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. At Wave III, all survey participants were young adults, with ages ranging from 18 to 26. Of the 6,504 Wave I respondents included in the public-use dataset, 4,882 participated in Wave III. Seven different measures of civic participation, including five dichotomous and two ordinal measures, were assessed. To test the study’s first hypothesis—that depressive symptoms predict reduced civic participation—binary and ordinal logistic regressions were performed. For the study’s second hypothesis—that depressive symptoms in young adulthood mediate the relationship between adolescent CVE and civic participation in young adulthood—mediation analyses were conducted. Generalized structural equation models were applied in Stata 14.2 with bootstrapping to assess models that included dichotomous measures of civic participation. To assess mediation for models that included ordinal measures of civic participation, an adaptation of the Preacher and Hayes macros for Stata was used. Covariates included demographic variables, community and mother-adolescent connectedness, and hard drug use or binge drinking during adolescence.

Results: Regression analyses identified no significant associations between depressive symptoms and volunteering, political involvement, blood donation, or other forms of community involvement. However, depressive symptoms did predict significant (p < .05) reductions in civic responsibility (OR = .96), civic trust (OR = 0.95), and overall civic participation (OR = .97). Depressive symptoms mediated the relationships between adolescent CVE and civic responsibility and adolescent CVE and civic trust, but not the relationship between adolescent CVE and overall civic participation. Mediation between adolescent CVE and civic responsibility occurred solely through the indirect effect of depressive symptoms. In comparison, both direct and indirect pathways were found between adolescent CVE and civic trust.

Implications: The findings suggest that depressive symptoms associated with adolescent CVE may lead to small decreases civic trust (i.e., trust in local, state, and federal government). Social workers serving young adults with depression and histories of CVE should consider this a potential barrier to accessing government benefits and services. The findings also suggest that the number of depressive symptoms does not affect several forms of civic participation. Social workers should be aware of opportunities for civic participation within their communities, and—because community engagement may actually reduce depressive symptoms—should encourage individuals to pursue interest in such activities.