Longitudinal Associations of Past and Cumulative Terrorism Exposure with Community Violence Exposure Among Israeli Adolescents: Aggression and Severe Violence Commission as Moderators

Terrorism exposure may be longitudinally associated with adolescents’ community violence exposure, but these associations may depend on preexisting externalizing behavior. Guided by ecological–transactional theory and competing stress-diathesis, dual-vulnerability, and rival-vulnerability perspectives, this study examined whether aggression and severe violence commission moderated associations of past terror exposure and cumulative Kassam rocket exposure, referring to exposure to short-range rockets launched from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel, with Time 2 violence witnessing and victimization. Participants were 362 Israeli adolescents enrolled in a longitudinal study with assessments in 2008 and 2010; cumulative Kassam rocket exposure incorporated exposure reports from 2008, 2009, and 2010. Models controlled for baseline community violence exposure, depressive and anxiety symptoms, sex, grade, and locality. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized models. Under low levels of both aggression and severe violence commission, past terror exposure was prospectively associated with higher Time 2 violence witnessing. Under high levels of severe violence commission, past terror exposure was prospectively associated with lower Time 2 violence victimization. A three-way interaction involving past terror exposure, cumulative Kassam rocket exposure, and aggression was also found and interpreted with caution. Overall, the pattern was consistent with a dual-vulnerability or rival-vulnerability pattern, but not with a stress-diathesis model. This pattern highlights the importance of assessing terrorism exposure, externalizing behavior, and distinct forms of community violence exposure when designing preventive interventions for adolescents living under chronic armed threat.