Traumas trip up inner-city girls
By Bruce Bower
Teenagers living in poor, inner-city areas witness or become victims of violence much more often than their middle-class counterparts in suburbs or rural areas. A new study shows that inner-city girls who routinely encounter violence often develop a severe stress reaction that may make it harder for them to succeed in school and more likely to be suspended or arrested.
Inner-city girls who suffer from this reaction, known as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), also appear more vulnerable to depression and anxiety and more prone to cigarette and marijuana use, report psychiatrist Deborah S. Lipschitz of Yale University School of Medicine and her coworkers.