The longitudinal impact of exposure to violence on cortisol reactivity in adolescents.

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to examine the effect of exposure to violence (ETV) on cortisol reactivity (CR) in children with no identified serious mental health problems or reports of maltreatment. ETV was hypothesized to influence development of the stress system in this sample of youth as has been demonstrated in maltreated youth.

Methods: The sample consisted of 124 adolescents aged 8-13 years.