Gun Violence, Social Cohesion, and Preschoolers’ Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives

Qualitative and quantitative analyses examined how neighborhood gun violence shapes young children’s well-being. Parents described constant vigilance, safety socialization, and weakened community ties. Quantitative models showed that reduced neighborhood social cohesion mediated associations between gun violence density and preschool internalizing and externalizing symptoms, highlighting cohesion as a meaningful contextual pathway.