Table Of Content

DOCUMENT RESUME UD 034 647 ED 460 197 Rinehart, P. Mann; Borowsky, I.; Stolz, A.; Latts, E.; Cart, AUTHOR C. U.; Brindis, C. D. Youth Violence: Lessons from the Experts. TITLE California Univ., San Francisco. National Adolescent Health INSTITUTION Information Center.; Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Div. of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health. Health Resources and Services Administration (DHHS/PHS), SPONS AGENCY Washington, DC. Maternal and Child Health Bureau. 1998-00-00 PUB DATE 38p.; Development also supported by the Policy Information NOTE and Analysis Center on Middle Childhood and Adolescence. Also funded by the Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health. MCJO6A80; MCU-069384 CONTRACT For full text: http://youth.ucsf.edu/nahic/products.html. AVAILABLE FROM Reports - Descriptive (141) Non-Classroom (055) Guides PUB TYPE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Adolescents; *Child Health; Children; Community Programs; DESCRIPTORS Comprehensive School Health Education; *Conflict Resolution; Elementary Secondary Education; Family Influence; *Family Violence; Guns; Health Promotion; Homicide; Interpersonal Competence; Student Behavior Risk Reduction IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This monograph summarizes what is known about youth and violence, identifying 10 myths that confound people's understanding of the real causes of youth violence. It focuses on: what contributes to youth violence (e.g., children exposed to domestic violence are at risk of using violence, children and adolescents use guns when they are easily accessible, and exposure to violence on television affects child and adolescent behavior); statistics on violence (e.g., violence in the community and community deterioration contribute to youth violence, using substances increases the risk of violent youth behavior, and society's acceptance of guns); what protects children and youth from violence (e.g., children need connections with families, schools, and friends; children need to learn how to resolve conflict nonviolently through example, children need a safe, supportive place to go after school, and children need a healthy home environment); descriptions of school and community violence prevention programs; influences on responses to violence (e.g., boys often exhibit more overt behavioral problems after exposure to violence than girls, children are more affected if the perpetrator or victim is known to them, and chronic A list of exposure is psychologically more harmful than a single exposure) . related resources and their contact information is provided. (Contains 61 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. (ID -MN= YOUTH Violence: =.11.14111.11is *t:r ,to teAtp, lqe U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) a/This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy BEST COPY AVAILABLE c, 2 YOUTH Violence: Il .:c4271b 4; :It 1:4V) sk: ' ,nallon U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 411 ( -1) Public Health Service Health Resources & Services Administration Maternal & Child Health Bureau _ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The development of this report was made possible by the support from the National Adolescent Health Information Center (MCJO6A80) and the Policy Information and Analysis Center on Middle Childhood and Adolescence (MCU 069384) of the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Institute for Health Policy Studies, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The Centers are funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We thank the following people from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau for their guidance and vision: Dr. Audrey Nora, Director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau; Dr. David Heppe!, Director of the Division of Maternal, Infant, Child and Adolescent Health; Ms. Juanita Evans, Chief of the Office of Adolescent Health; Dr. Woodie Kessel, Director of the Division of Education, Science, and Analysis; and Dr. Trina Anglin, Medical Officer of the Office of Adolescent Health. In addition, special thanks to Charles E. Irwin, Jr., M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, UCSF School of Medicine, Director, National Adolescent Health Information Center, and Robert Wm. Blum, M.D., Ph.D., Director and Professor, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics, Academic Health Center, University of Minnesota, for their comments on drafts of the report. Additional funding was provided by The Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health, a collaborative legislative initiative of the Schools of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing at the University of Minnesota. We also appreciate the expert review and thoughtful feedback provided by Larry Cohen, M.S.W., Senior Consultant on Violence Prevention, Children's Safety Network, and Executive Director, Prevention Institute, Berkeley, CA, Jeane Erlenborn M.P.H. Program Coordinator, Prevention Institute, Berkeley, CA, and Judith , Kahn, M.S.W., Executive Director, The Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota. Thanks also to Linda Pratt, Production Assistant, Dissemination Center, University of Minnesota, for managing the many revisions and production of this report and Connie Chairpar, Printing and Graphics at the University of Minnesota, for her patience and attention to graphic detail. Citation Information Mann Rinehart, P., Borowsky, I., Stolz, A., Latts, E., Cart, C.U., & Brindis, C.D. (1998). Youth Violence: Lessons From the Experts. Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Box 721, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Institute for Health Policy Studies, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. 4 JtWm YOUTH Violence: 2 Acknowledgments 4 Introduction What Contributes to Youth Violence', 6 8 Violence By the Numbers What Protects Children and Youth From Violence', 13 18 Violence Prevention Programs 28 Influences on Responses to Violence 29 Resources 33 Bibliography Violence: YOUTH industrialized country. This reflects both violence committed by teens and violence committed against teens. Indeed, the only countries to exceed or come close to the United States are Eastern European countriesthe Russian Federation and Lithuaniaboth in political and economic turmoil. And the rate of imm Alai -rm. homicide in the United States is just Introduction about double that in Northern Ireland, a country with a long There's no shortage of violence in our lives. Maybe history of ongoing civil war and it's another headline: "Youth kill two in act of strife. Homicide and suicide are the random violence." second and third leading causes of Maybe it's the opening sequence There's no escaping violence. We death, respectively, for youth ages in a new prime time series: Three live in a violent society. How 15-24, surpassed only by more dead bodies in 60 seconds of violent? The World Health unintentional injury (Baker, 1992). action. Or maybe it's even closer to Organization reported that in 1996 One difficulty in tracking home. The school principal called. the United States had the second violence among adolescents is that Your child's been involved in highest homicide rate among youth data on violence committed against another fight. ages 15 to 24 years, of any Western youth and data on violence committed by youth are often lumped together. This monograph Russian Fed. proposes to look at the most violent USA crimes committed by youth, when Lithuania possible, recognizing that violent N. Ireland HpmViifile Israel crimes against youth are often ages 15-24 years CouTilFy Poland committed by adults. That's why Italy the graph on page 5 is alarming: Australia Canada Beginning in the mid-1980s there is Netherlands a sudden break in the historically Switzerland close connection between the Finland homicide rate and the percentage of Eng &Wales Sweden young adults within the population. Germany Fox reports several trends (1997). France The rate of homicides committed by Japan 20 25 18 to 24 year olds has increased 61 30 10 15 5 0 Homicides per 100,000 percent, from 15.7 to 25.3 per Source: World Health Organization, 1996 Page 4 L. esMrons From tne txperts, Ha5icent for Populaiion ,,ges 18-24 ... 11 Rate of homicides committed by teens 18-24 10 9 8 7 Percent of population between age 18-24 6 5 4 93 85 87 89 79 83 75 77 73 65 69 91 67 81 71 Year Source: FBI, Supplementary Homicide Reports and Census Bureau, Current Population Survey prevention programs that seem to violence. It does not intend to 100,000 while the rate of violent have a good chance of success. provide an exhaustive review of the crime committed by those over 25 Our goal is to provide a useful literature rather, it is a guide to the years has declined. More worrisome tool for health care professionals lessons experts have learned about is the rate of homicide committed and educators, state maternal and youth and violence. by teenagers between the ages of 14 child health directors and their In the next few pages, we will to 17 years that has doubled from adolescent health coordinators, the identify ten myths that confound 7.0 per 100,000 in 1985 to 19.1 in societies and professional our understanding of the real causes 1994. organizations of those who work of youth violence. We believe that And, homicides are not the only with children and youth, and the these myths should be a starting measure of violence in youth. In hundreds of government point to consider what common 1994 alone, more than 750 children policymakers at local, county, state, beliefs regarding youth and violence ages 4 to 14 were killed by firearms regional and national levels. We exist in our communities. (Fox, 1997). hope to reach community-level A number of leading experts in Clearly we live in a violent youth-serving agencies such as the the area of violence prevention have environment, and youth often United Way and programs that taken the time to respond to the mirror the violence around them. work directly with teens. questions: What is the most What can we as professionals, Information contained in this important thing you've learned parents and citizens do to stem the monograph should help each to about youth violence? What do you tide of violence? How can our think about the current violence teach your children? What do you children protect themselves from prevention programs they fund or teach parents? What do you teach violence? participate in, as well as to consider communities? Their responses can This monograph has been additional ways that they could be found throughout the text. And, developed to summarize what we help reduce the pervasive nature of we've identified some violence already know about youth and violence in our society. Page 5 YOUTH Violence: What Contributes booming U.S. economy (Li & to Youth Violence? Bennett, 1998). For too many of our adolescents, violence is the only During this century, the way they know of handling conflict. leading causes of death A variety of sources contribute to for adolescents have youth violence. changed from natural Children who are exposed causes to unintentional to domestic violence are at risk of using violence. injury and violence. The exact number of children In 1933, 75% of deaths among who are exposed to the estimated 4 15-19 year olds were the result of million episodes of partner abuse natural causes; in 1993, 80% of that occur each year is unknown, deaths among 15-19 year olds were but it is thought to be substantial. maintain the positive inroads we the result of homicide and Those who provide health and other have made in reducing adolescent unintentional injury (Brindis, Irwin care to children and youth need to violence. & Millstein, 1992). Future ask about child abuse and family There is no single reason some demographics point to a significant violence in general for several children and youth are at risk for increase in the number of reasons: committing, or being involved in, adolescents living in the United Children in families where there is violent acts. One factor may be the States. To reduce the likelihood of such violence are at greater risk of being increasing ecomonic inequality an increase in the pattern of abused themselves (Straus & Gelles, among youth. One in four children violence, we must consider ways to 1990). in this country is poor, despite a mobilize our communities to Katherine Kaufer Christoffel, M.D., M.P.H. Professor of Pediatric and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern call" University and Medical Director of the Handgun Epidemic Lowering Plan one (HELP) Network at the Violent Injury Prevention Center of Children's Memorial Medical Center, Chicago, IL The most important thing I've learned is: "... To protect children from violent injuries, we must reduce the likelihood that children will become involved in violence at all. That means from the very early days to nurture them; to set appropriate limits; and to recognize when they are getting involved in risky activities. It means teaching them ways of dealing with conflict that don't risk violence ..." I teach communities "... when violence does occur, we must be sure it is not deadly. That means ensuring that kids cannot get a hold of guns, primarily handguns. This means removing guns from our homes, making sure they are not in the homes of friends, neighbors and relatives, and taking steps to reduce the number of guns in the community. This requires decision-making and action at the personal, family, neighborhood and community levels ..." Page 6 16._!epeP Exposure to violence on that guns will kill more youth than There are studies that suggest that television affects child and if the automobiles by the year witnessing violence at home may be as 2003 adolescent behavior. current trend continues (Adams, traumatic for children as having been the Surgeon As early as 1972, Shoenborn, & Moss, 1994). Nearly victimized themselves in terms of General's report, "Television and half of U.S. homes have some type debilitating psychological effects and Growing Up: The Impact of have a of firearm, and 26% long-term behavior effects (Zuckerman, Televised Violence," found that handgun. According to one survey Augustyn, Groves & Parker, 1995). viewing violent television programs of gun owners with children, 30% Children who are themselves was linked to aggressive behavior in sometimes or always keep their abused and who witness the abuse guns loaded at home. Adolescents of their mothers and other violence living in homes where there is easy in the home are more likely to grow access to guns are more likely to be up to perpetrate violence. They are involved in violent behavior. They more likely to be victimized in are more likely to act violently intimate relationships as well as to The fight I witnessed has towards others and are at increased become a perpetrator or victim of made me think about risk for suicidal thoughts or that fight violence violence on the streets (Cappell & . . . was not my fightits attempts (Resnick et al., 1997). In fact, Heiner, 1990). participants were not my by the time they reach adolescence, Children and adolescents friends. But they could many adolescents have their own use guns when they are easily accessible. have been. guns. In a national survey of Anna, age 14 of boys In many areas throughout the adolescents in 1993, 15% reported that they had carried a gun country, guns have surpassed motor days and over half within the last vehicles as the leading killer of 30 said they knew where to get a gun if children and youth. The National they wanted one (Kahn et al., 1996). Center for Health Statistics shows AgNat-&-projected PfJtjon YOUTH Violence: Ages 10-19 #1 MYTH 50 Violence results from other crimes such as robberies or drug deals. The truth is... Fewer than 15% of homicides are precipitated by the 20 '20 '50 '90 '93 '00 '80 '85 '70 '65 '75 60 commission of another crime Year Spivak, 1992). (Prothrow-Stith & Source: Day, JC 1996 Page 7 Violence: YOUTH children. Children exposed to media But it's not just exposure to violence are more likely to believe violence that matters. It turns out that violence is a good way to solve harmful violence looks harmless on interpersonal conflicts. They may television. A national television A conservative estimate of the also be more likely to see the world violence study identified some 73% number of firearms in the United as a dangerouse or mean place and of scenes in 2,693 programs from 23 States (American Academy of Pediatrics, to view more ambiguous situations channels where violence goes 1994). as threatening. ato unpunished: victims are unharmed, Vcoy Conservative estimates indicate show no pain, and there is no long- Number of American households that the average American child or term physical, emotional or with handguns (American Academy of teenager views over 10,000 murders, financial price to pay (DuRant, Getts, Pediatrics). rapes and assaults per year on Cadenhead, & Woods, 1995). 413g41 television (Resnick et al.). That is an Such programming poses several Ratio of fatal shootings of family members or acquaintances in average of about 25 acts of violence distinct threats to public health suicides, non-justifiable homicides per day. The media make violence because children: or accidents to each incident in commonplace. Learn to behave violently; which a gun is used to kill in self- defense (American Academy of Pediatrics). 300% Increased likelihood of domestic homicide when there is a gun in the home (American Academy of Pediatrics). Cordelia Anderson, M.A. Director of Sensibilities Inc., Minneapolis, MN Number of latch-key children who The most important thing I've learned is: "...to remember that have access to guns when they many young people work hard to reduce and prevent various forms of come home from school (American violence. We need to celebrate the positive things they do. Instead of Academy of Pediatrics). being afraid of or blaming young people, we need to be there for 88 them. That means listening, caring, and building on their strengths. Percent of children accidentally Young people need to know ways to deal with their anger, frustrations injured or killed who are shot in and setbacks other than resorting to violence, and they need to know their own home or in the home of what behaviors are appropriate and expected of them ..." relatives or friends (American Academy of Pediatrics). I teach children "... to feel a sense of pride in themselves. I try to Zero educate them about violence and the skills they need to deal with The increase in number of juveniles conflicts, protect themselves and promote peace. I try to help them killing with all weapons other than see themselves as capable peacemakers and role model the behaviors I hope to see in them. My children know why I don't let guns (Fox, 1996). them watch violence and why I don't believe in hitting or guns as ways 20% to solve problems. They also know they are loved and will be listened Increase in the number of teens to ..." ages 14-17 by 2005 (Fox) Page 8 4 0