Racial Differences in Violent Behavior among Young Adults: Moderating and Confounding Effects

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Abstract
Understanding racial differences in violent behavior has become a research priority due to increasing rates of violence among adolescents and young adults, especially African American males. Socioeconomic status (SES) has been shown to be an important variable in helping to explain racial differences in health-related behaviors. This study investigated the moderating and confounding effects of SES on the relationship between race and violent behavior in a sample of young adults (N = 1,559). The possible confounding effects of selected risk factors (e.g., selling drugs, witnessing violence) also were examined. Findings suggest that racial differences in violent behavior only exist among young adults of low SES and that finer SES distinctions within this group do not explain these differences. However, exposure to violence, a correlate of SES, accounted for racial differences in this subgroup. Future studies on racial differences in violence should examine further the role of SES and related risk factors.