Youth Violence Prevention and Safety

Violence involvement remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for youth and young adults in the United States. The impact of adverse childhood experiences on violence involvement can be translated to the cellular level, including alterations in brain structure and function responsible for stress reactivity and coping. This knowledge is counterbalanced by a growing understanding of what works in the realm of youth violence prevention. Incorporating a resilience framework, with its focus on building developmental assets and resources at individual, family, and community levels, offers a renewed approach to fostering healthy behaviors and coping strategies.

Key points

  • Violence involvement remains a threat to the healthy development of US youth.

  • Evidence linking adverse childhood experiences to interpersonal and self-directed violence-related outcomes in adolescence and adulthood is mounting.

  • Use of a resilience framework for violence prevention and intervention efforts is the key, as it focuses on building developmental assets and resources.

  • Brief and validated resources are available to support screening and counseling for youth violence involvement in the office setting.

  • Investment in youth, from birth to adolescence and across developmental domains including family, school, and neighborhood, is proving effective in reducing violence involvement.

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Oct 2, 2017 | Posted by in PEDIATRICS | Comments Off on Youth Violence Prevention and Safety

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