They can become depressed, angry, distrustful, fearful, alienated, and feel betrayed. Many do not feel they have a future, believing that they will not reach adulthood. This is especially common with chronic exposure to community violence. Children and adolescent's risk for developing PTSD increases with the severity of exposure, parental reactions to the violence exposure, and the child's physical proximity to the community violence. The impact of community violence exposure is not felt by the youth alone.
Extreme anxiety concerning their child's health and wellbeing are common parental reactions.
Resources for parents may be limited leading to frustration and anger. Many parents blame themselves for not protecting their child adequately. They may become overprotective or use punitive discipline in response to their child's trauma-related acting out behavior. Relationships among family members can become strained. Parents find themselves having to face the task of reassuring their child while trying to cope with their own fears, especially if there is chronic risk for future community violence exposure.