NCJ Number
170909
Journal
American Psychologist Volume: 50 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1995) Pages: 782-788
Date Published
1995
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article presents an overview of available research and clinical understanding of the effects of exposure to violence on school-age and younger children.
Abstract
Recent research has focused on elementary school-age and younger children living in urban areas who are exposed to chronic community violence (CCV). Exposure to CCV is defined as "frequent and continual exposure to the use of guns, knives, and drugs, as well as random violence." Although these studies are informative, an understanding of the effects of CCV and the influence of individual, family, and social ecological factors on later behavior and adjustment depends on future studies that use broader epidemiological sampling and longitudinal methods. Various data show the importance of including measures of family violence in studies of exposure to community violence, so as to determine differential exposure and to study the combined impact on children of being raised in violent homes and in violent neighborhoods. Adolescent problems related to violence exposure have been most visible, both in the literature and in the media. Less well-known are the problems that are often seen in younger children exposed to violence. Even in the earliest phases of infant and toddler development, clear associations have been found between exposure to violence and post-traumatic symptoms and disorders. A review of the clinical evidence regarding the impact of exposure to violence on young children focuses on the development of aggressive behavior and negative emotions, post-traumatic stress disorder as a response to violence, and early relationship problems. Also discussed are the impact of violence on parents and their capacity to parent, a research agenda, and policy recommendations for parents and communities. 58 references