• Andrew Foell, Kyle A Pitzer, Von Nebbitt, Margaret Lombe, Mansoo Yu, Melissa L Villodas, Ngozi Enelamah, and Husain Lateef.
• Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois Chicago, 1040 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA. Electronic address: afoell@uic.edu.
• J Natl Med Assoc. 2024 Aug 1; 116 (4): 390402390-402.

AbstractYouth exposed to community violence and neighborhood stressors report devastating mental health consequences. Black youth are at greater risk and experience community violence at rates higher than other youth populations. An underexplored mental health consequence is anxiety sensitivity, the fear of experiencing anxiety-related symptoms, which contributes to maladaptive coping strategies and the development and severity of other mental health problems. This study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine socio-ecological risk and protective factors associated with community violence exposure and anxiety sensitivity among low-income Black youth. Survey data are from a sample of 320 Black youth residing in public and subsidized housing in a Northeastern city in the United States. Results indicated that neighborhood risk, parenting behaviors, and exposure to delinquent peers were indirectly associated with anxiety sensitivity, which occurred through community violence exposure. Additionally, neighborhood risks had direct effects on anxiety sensitivity. Results point to the need to incorporate social and environmental factors in interventions addressing anxiety sensitivity among Black youth in urban communities.Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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