Community violence exposure and mental health in urban Mexico: The moderating role of school belonging in early adolescence and young adulthood

Community violence exposure (CVE) is a pervasive risk to youth mental health, yet developmental research examining protective factors in Latin America remains scarce. This cross-sectional investigation examined CVE and psychological symptoms among early adolescents (N = 346) and young adults (N = 499) living in a chronically violent region of Michoacán, Mexico. Participants completed validated measures of witnessing violence, personal victimization, school belonging, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Results indicated that CVE was widespread in both age groups and consistently associated with elevated depressive symptoms and PTSS. Notably, developmentally distinct moderation patterns emerged. Among early adolescents, higher school belonging intensified the associations between CVE and depressive symptoms, consistent with a vulnerable-reactive pattern. In contrast, school belonging buffered the association between CVE and PTSS among young adults. These findings suggest that the function of school belonging may differ by developmental stage, operating as a source of potential ecological sensitivity in early adolescence and as a resilience resource in young adulthood. Results underscore the importance of developmentally tailored supports for youth navigating chronic violence in the Global South.