Children and Violence

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified youth violence as a major public health problem. What impact does exposure to violence--be it in the form of victimization, observation, or knowledge--have on young people? How do they develop a sense of morality? And how does it affect their perception of the world around them? Devoted to this crisis in American life, this volume--originally published as a special issue of the journal Psychiatry--documents the rise in violence in our communities and explores its impact on children's physical, psychological, and social development.

We know from police statistics, as well as from the evening news, that the violence in many American communities is increasing at an alarming rate. To assess the impact this may have on children, however, more detailed epidemiological data is needed. We must ascertain the types of violent acts children experience, patterns and duration of their exposure, factors that increase some children's exposure, and factors that protect others. Reporting on studies that have been initiated in this area are three chapters that describe ground-breaking projects that are distinguished by their sensitivity to community dynamics and developmental processes.

Strategies for intervention are addressed in chapters that delineate the need for immediate remedial action, describe positive effects research projects can have in volatile communities, report on the impact of an innovative intervention program, and assess the influence of television violence.
Other contributions draw from research on the effects of child sexual abuse and maltreatment on children's development to discuss specific psychological processes that may mediate negative effects, as well as risk and protective factors in the culture, community, and family.

Reflecting on the implications of our culture's violence on the early development and morality of our children, final chapters focus on the children who are currently facing sever adversity. Rounding out the volume, a powerful case is made for a deployment of the country's resources to support the potential for resilience in the children and families whose everyday lives are affected by this national problem.