Preventing adolescent violence

We are living in what appears to be an increasingly violent world. Adolescents are more likely than anyone else to be a victim of violence.¹ Violent crimes include assault, rape, and robbery. It is commonly thought that violent crimes are not planned and the victims are innocent bystanders. This is not true. Most violent crimes occur between friends or acquaintances or within families.

To help prevent your adolescent from being involved in violence, you can:

• Be involved in your child's life. Know your child's friends and how they spend their free time. Because peers strongly influence your child's behavior, talk to your child about how friends who get into trouble can affect him or her. Explore ways your adolescent can avoid unsafe situations, and talk about what qualities to look for in friends. If your child has friends who often get into trouble, encourage him or her to join a school club, sports team, or church group to meet new friends.
• Find alternatives to and discourage physical violence.
  • Explore ways, such as through role-playing, that your child can deal with conflict without resorting to violence. Let your child consider which approach fits him or her best. For example, brainstorm ways to reason with a bully, such as by saying, "I don't have anything against you." or "This is not worth fighting about."
  • Be a role model. Evaluate the ways your family deals with conflict and ensure that all are nonviolent. Think about how you resolve problems with your co-parent, and identify the similarities and differences with how you each address conflict with your teen. Try to come to terms with any differences, and work together to provide firm, fair, and consistent approaches. Children who witness violence in their homes and communities are more likely to think of violence as the best way to deal with conflict. Let your teen see you deal with a disagreement by discussing the issue, not by physically or verbally attacking the other person.
  • Remove guns from your home. Guns are involved in most teen murders (homicides)². Death from firearm homicide is the most rapidly increasing cause of death for teens between the ages of 15 and 19. Teens may carry guns to help them feel secure. But having a gun often turns simple fistfights or assaults into murders. About 43% of the homes in the United States have one or more handguns.¹ The most common victim when a teen fires a handgun at home is the teen. The next most common victim is a friend of the teen. Locking a gun in a separate place from the shells may help discourage access, but it is not foolproof.
• Encourage regular physical activity. Participation in competitive or recreational sports can be a healthy outlet for excess energy, and coaches often are healthy role models.
• Monitor exposure to violence. It is becoming more clear that repeated exposure to violence on television, video games, movies, and other media impact adolescents' perceptions of and attitudes toward violence.¹ Internet games and Web sites that let users share video clips can expose youths to violent acts. Many youths who continually view acts of violence gradually become desensitized to it, making them more apt to commit acts of violence themselves.
• Discourage alcohol and drug use, and discuss how to handle a situation in which drugs and/or alcohol are being used by others. Alcohol, tobacco, or drug use is a risk factor for youth violence.³
• Pay attention to your child's perceptions. Adolescents who view the world as harsh, interpret harmless situations as hostile, and view people as either victims or bullies, are often more prone to violence. If this describes your child, talk to him or her about your concerns. If you think your adolescent may need help dealing with conflict situations, talk with a health professional or licensed counselor.

Citations

1. Champion H, Sege R (2008). Youth violence. In LS Neinstein, ed., Adolescent Health Care: A Practical Guide, 5th ed., pp. 984–993. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

2. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2004). WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999–2004. Available online: http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_sy.html.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006). Understanding youth violence. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/YVFactSheet.pdf.