Social connection to neighbors, multiple victimization, and current health among women residing in high crime neighborhoods

This study assessed current health [physical health, bodily pain, global distress, posttraumatic stress-related disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and illicit substance use] among 160 minority women residing in high crime areas with varying numbers of different types of victimization histories and varying levels of social connections (SCs) to neighbors. Multivariate analyses of covariance indicated a main effect for number of different types of victimization and for SC to neighbors, after considering ethnicity, immigration, and marital status. Women with two or three+ different types of victimization reported higher global distress, PTSD symptoms, and illicit substance use than women with zero or one type of victimization. Likewise, women with low levels of SC to neighbors reported higher bodily pain than women with high levels of SCs to neighbors.