This study is an effort to learn about the nature and correlates of children's exposure to chronic community violence. What is the extent to which young children living in chronically violent inner-city environments are exposed, both directly and indirectly, to various forms of violence? What are the effects of these exposure patterns on children's psychiatric symptomatology, health, and social, emotional, and cognitive functioning? How are exposure and its consequences -- both adaptive and maladaptive -- mediated by characteristics of the children, their families, and communities.
