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.

You can help prevent your adolescent from being involved in violence by:

• Being 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 about how friends who get into trouble can affect him or her. Explore ways your adolescent can avoid unsafe situations or what qualities to look for in friends.
• Finding alternatives to and discouraging 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). Death from firearm homicide is the most rapidly increasing cause of death for teens between the ages of 15 and 19. Teens often carry guns to help them feel secure. However, 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.
• Encouraging regular physical activity. Participation in competitive or recreational sports can be a healthy outlet for excess energy, and coaches often are healthy role models.
• Monitoring 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 Many youths who continually view acts of violence gradually become desensitized to it, making them more apt to commit acts of violence themselves.
• Discouraging alcohol and drug use and discussing how to handle a situation in which these things are being used by others. Alcohol and drug use are involved in about half of all violent situations among teens.
• Paying 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.