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Violence exposure among rural youths is a significant public health problem, yet little research has been conducted on violence in this setting. This study explored rural youths' direct and indirect experience of violence in the neighborhood, school, and home. The author used hierarchical regression analyses to explore youth violence exposure, aggressive behaviors, mental health symptoms, attitudes toward guns and violence, and community poverty level, measured by percentage of free and reduced-price lunch, at four different southeastern Ohio schools. Results indicated that higher levels of poverty are significantly related to higher levels of direct exposure to violence in school, and to dissociation, damaging property of others, and some measures of violence proneness. Responses to violence exposure at the community, school, and individual practitioner level are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]