Adolescent
Violence Prevention
Knowledge Path
Knowledge Path Table of Contents
General Resources for Professionals
- Web Sites
- Additional Electronic Publications
- Databases: Data, Literature and Research, and Programs
- News and Commentary
Resources on Specific Aspects of Adolescent Violence
- Bullying
- Dating Violence
- Family Violence
- Firearms
- Gangs
- Media Violence
- School Violence
- Suicide
- Violent Crime Victims
Please provide feedback on this knowledge path.
This knowledge path about adolescent violence prevention has
been compiled by the Maternal and Child
Health Library at Georgetown University. The volume
of materials on this topic is vast and covers many disciplines, including
public health, medicine, criminal justice, education, and social services.
This path offers a selection of current, high-quality resources from these
disciplines that measure, document, and monitor the problem; identify risk
and protective factors; and report on promising intervention strategies.
Separate sections identify resources on specific aspects of adolescent violence:
bullying, dating violence, family violence, firearms, gangs, media violence,
school violence, suicide, and violent-crime victimization. This knowledge
path is aimed at health and social services professionals, educators, policymakers,
community activists, and families, and it will be updated periodically.
Related knowledge paths:
Domestic
Violence
Emotional,
Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents
Social
and Emotional Development in Children
and Adolescents
See Understanding Youth Violence (2009) by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This fact sheet describes the problem of adolescent violence in the United States and outlines its occurrence and consequences, the groups at risk, and prevention strategies. Also see Youth Violence: Facts at a Glance (2009), which presents data about youth violence and violence-related behaviors, health disparities among victims of violence, non-fatal injuries due to violence, school violence, bullying, and juvenile arrests.
General Resources for Professionals
- American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Violence Prevention. Policy statements
and patient-education materials on topics such as bullying and firearms.
Resources and initiatives include
Connected Kids: Safe, Strong, Secure. Information about this program to integrate violence prevention efforts in pediatric practices and the community. Includes a clinical guide and brochures for parents, children, and adolescents on topics such as bullying, discipline, interpersonal skills, and television violence.
Role of the Pediatrician in Youth Violence Prevention. (2009). [Policy statement].
Also see the ASK Campaign (Asking Saves Kids).
- Center
for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV). Program information,
publications, and databases to assist with the
development and evaluation of effective violence prevention programs.
Topics include school violence, bullying, gangs, and firearms. CSPV
is a research center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Resources
and initiatives include
Blueprints for Violence Prevention. Information and materials about model programs that have been effective in reducing adolescent violent crime, aggression, delinquency, and substance use.
Also see Safe Communities~Safe Schools (SCSS).
- Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Information and resources
about preventing adolescent violence in schools, homes, and communities.
Resources and initiatives include
Guide to Community Preventive Services: Violence Prevention Focused on Children and Youth. Recommendations for population-based interventions to reduce or prevent violence by and against children and adolescents. Addresses early childhood home visitation, firearm laws, reducing psychological harm from traumatic events, school-based violence prevention programs, therapeutic foster care, and youth transfer to adult criminal courts.
Mortality Among Teenagers Aged 12–19 Years: United States, 1999–2006. (2010). This data brief indicates that almost 75 percent of all adolescent deaths are attributable to unintentional and violence-related injuries and are considered preventable.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC): Youth Violence. Program information, data, assessment tools, definitions, and resources that describe risk and protective factors, consequences, prevention strategies, and the translation of research into practice. Recent resources and initiatives include
- Evaluation
for Improvement: A Seven-Step Empowerment Evaluation Approach for
Violence Prevention Organizations. (2010). [Manual].
National Academic Centers of Excellence (ACE) on Youth Violence Prevention. Information about 10 university-based research centers that are collaborating with local communities and community-based organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate promising adolescent violence prevention efforts.
National Strategy to Prevent Youth Violence. (2009). [Fact sheet].
- STRYVE:
Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere. Information about
this initiative to promote connections within and across communities
using tools and online resources and technical assistance to identify
and conduct evidence-informed youth violence prevention approaches
and to evaluate these efforts.
- Evaluation
for Improvement: A Seven-Step Empowerment Evaluation Approach for
Violence Prevention Organizations. (2010). [Manual].
- Children's
Safety Network (CSN): Youth Violence Prevention. Publications,
presentations, and links to additional resources about adolescent violence
prevention, including bullying and school violence prevention. CSN
provides information, training, and assistance to the maternal and
child health (MCH) community to reduce child and adolescent injuries
and violence. A recent publication is
Weaving a Safety Net: Integrating Injury and Violence Prevention into Maternal and Child Health Programs. (2009). [Report].
- Fight
Crime: Invest in Kids. Program information, legislative news,
and publications about crime-prevention topics, including early education
and care, child abuse and neglect prevention, after-school programs,
and programs that help troubled adolescents get back on track. Fight
Crime: Invest in Kids is a national anti-crime organization of law-enforcement
leaders and violence survivors. Recent publications include
After-School Programs Prevent Crime. (2009). [Fact sheet].
From America's Front Line Against Crime: Proven Investments in Kids Will Prevent Crime and Violence. (2009). [Issue brief].
Interventions for Juvenile Offenders Prevent Crime. (2009). [Fact sheet].
Invest in Early Education Now, Spend Less on Prison Later. (2009). [Report, Issue brief].
- FindYouthInfo.gov.
Program and funding information and resources to help youth-serving organizations
and community partnerships plan, implement, and participate in effective
programs for youth. FindYouthInfo.gov was created by the Interagency Working
Group on Youth Programs, which is composed of representatives from 12 federal
agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth. See the
FindYouthInfo.gov directory of evidence-based
programs.
- Girls
Study Group. Research bulletins, presentations, and background
materials about female juvenile delinquency and violence. The Girls
Study Group is funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Recent bulletins include
Causes and Correlates of Girls' Delinquency. (2010).
Resilient Girls: Factors That Protect Against Delinquency. (2009).
- Healthy
People 2010. Information about this national health-promotion
and disease-prevention initiative that is coordinated by the Office
of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). Healthy
People contains 467 objectives in 28 focus areas. Focus
area 15 presents the adolescent violence prevention agenda. See Data2010 for
data about the adolescent violence objectives. Also view proposed Healthy
People 2020 objectives for injury
and violence prevention.
- Minnesota
Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA): Youth Violence.
Electronic clearinghouse of links to published research, curricula
and other educational material, and organizations. Bullying, school
violence, gangs, and media violence are some of the topics addressed.
MINCAVA is located at the University of Minnesota School of Social
Work.
- National Adolescent
Health Information Center (NAHIC). Fact
sheets, policy briefs, reports, and other materials about adolescent
health on topics that include positive youth development and violence.
NAHIC is based at the University of California, San Francisco.
Also see NAHIC's Data Project to Improve Adolescent and Young Adult Health.
- National
Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health.
Program and conference information and other resources about reforming
services and building systems of care for children and adolescents
who have, or are at risk for, mental health challenges and their families.
Offers a matrix of
over 50 programs across the country that focus on Asian American/Pacific
Islander adolescent development and violence prevention. Presents a set
of briefs that describe the work and successes of 29 coalitions
for adolescent violence prevention. Also offers a monthly conference
call series that covers important and emerging trends in mental
health. The center is part of the Georgetown
University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD).
- National
Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. Information about
adolescent violence prevention and intervention programs along with
publications, statistics, training opportunities, and funding resources.
Presents databases of adolescent violence prevention materials and organizations and
an electronic guide to Spanish-language
resources. The center is a collaboration between the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several federal partner
agencies working on adolescent violence.
- Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Program,
conference, and funding information; statistics; state contact lists;
and publications, including electronic newsletters.
Topics include girls'
delinquency and gang
violence prevention. OJJDP is part of the Department
of Justice (DOJ).
Statistical Briefing Book (SBB). Statistics about juvenile crime and victimization and about youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
Also see the National Gang Center (NGC).
- Prevention
Institute. Program information, policy research and analysis,
publications, presentations, and other materials about violence
prevention. The Prevention Institute is a national, non-profit
organization that promotes policies, organizational practices, and
collaborative efforts to improve health and quality of life. Recent
initiatives and publications include
Moving from Them to Us: Challenges in Reframing Violence Among Youth. (2009). [Paper].
Preventing Violence: A Primer. (2009).
Public Health Approach to Preventing Violence: FAQ. (2009). [Issue brief].
Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth (UNITY) Through Violence Prevention. Background information, program materials, assessment and planning tools, and a webinar training series about this program to strengthen and support cities' violence prevention efforts. UNITY is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Public/Private
Ventures (P/PV). Information about effective
programs and reports aimed at reducing crime and violence, promoting
the successful reentry of formerly incarcerated adults, and helping
high-risk adolescents avoid deeper involvement with the criminal justice
system. Other programs address mentoring, out-of-school time, and in-school
initiatives. P/PV is a national nonprofit organization focused on creating
and strengthening programs that improve lives in low-income communities.
- RESOURCE
Project. Education tools for faculty from a variety of disciplines
to use in enhancing the adolescent-health training of public health
students. Includes a 12-unit adolescent-health curriculum on topics
such as adolescent development, mental health and suicide, violence,
school interventions, and community interventions. The project is a
collaborative effort spearheaded by the Public
Policy Analysis and Education Center for Middle Childhood, Adolescent
and Young Adult Health.
- Youth Alive! Program
information and program replication materials for initiatives to prevent
adolescent violence and develop adolescent leadership in California communities.
Youth ALIVE! provides training to adolescents to build their leadership
skills and support them in advocating for solutions to violence for themselves
and their communities.
Additional Electronic Publications
- Fox HB, McManus MA, Arnold KN. 2010. Significant
Multiple Risk Behaviors Among U.S. High School Students. Washington,
DC: National Alliance to
Advance Adolescent Health. This fact sheet describes the multiple
health risk behaviors among high school students, including behaviors
that contribute to violence. It reports on the prevalence and co-occurrence
of these health risk behaviors; examines differences by gender, race
and ethnicity, and grade level; and considers implications for preventive
interventions.
- Greenwood P. 2010. Preventing
and Reducing Youth Crime and Violence: Using Evidence-Based Practices.
Sacramento, CA: Governor's Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy.
This paper describes an examination of evidence-based programs and strategies,
which if implemented correctly, reliably and significantly reduce juvenile
crime and violence. The appendix contains a list of the programs and
strategies that are most likely to prevent and reduce youth crime and
violence and several programs and strategies that do not work.
- Kaba M, Mathew JC, Haines N, eds. 2010. Something
Is Wrong: Exploring the Roots of Youth Violence. Chicago, IL: Project
NIA, Chicago Freedom School, and Teachers for Social Justice. This curriculum
aims to guide adolescents and their adult allies to analyze the root
causes of youth violence and create local solutions.
- Krisberg B, Hartney C, Wolf A, Silva F. 2009. Youth
Violence Myths and Realities: A Tale of Three Cities. Oakland, CA: National
Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD). This report presents findings
and recommendations from a study to assess the intersections of media
coverage of youth crime, public policy, and true trends and issues in
youth crime in three U.S. cities.
- MacDonald J, Bluthenthal RN, Golinelli D, Kofner A, Stokes
RJ, Sehgal A, Fain T, Beletsky L. 2009. Neighborhood
Effects on Crime and Youth Violence: The Role of Business Improvement Districts
in Los Angeles. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. This report examines
the impact of business improvement districts (BIDs) on crime and youth
violence in Los Angeles.
- Office of Applied Studies
(OAS). 2009. Violent
Behaviors Among Adolescent Females. Rockville, MD: Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This report
presents data about the prevalence of three types of violent behavior
among girls ages 12–17.
- Office
of the Surgeon General. 2001. Youth
Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This report examines the magnitude,
causes, and prevention of adolescent violence from a public health perspective.
- Schwarz SW. 2009. Adolescent
Violence and Unintentional Injury in the United States: Facts for Policymakers.
New York, NY: National Center for Children
in Poverty (NCCP). This fact sheet presents statistics about adolescent
violence and unintentional injury in the United States.
- Stewart EA, Simons RL. 2009. The
Code of the Street and African-American Adolescent Violence. Washington,
DC: National Institute of Justice
(NIJ). This report describes research that examined relationships
between neighborhood and family characteristics, racial discrimination,
and street code values with violent behavior in young people.
The databases listed below are excellent tools for identifying data, additional literature and research, and programs about adolescent violence prevention. Many of the entries below contain tips on how to use the databases efficiently. Please note that databases vary in how terms should be entered; for example, some require quotation marks and others don't. Enter search phrases as shown in bold below.
- Child
Trends DataBank. Over 100 key indicators
of infant, child, and adolescent well-being. Data briefs about adolescent
violence include physical fighting, students carrying weapons, adolescent
homicide, firearm death, and violent crime victimization. Child Trends
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization providing research
and data to inform decision-making that affects families.
- Data2010:
The Healthy People 2010 Database. Data for tracking Healthy
People 2010. To obtain data about adolescent violence prevention,
click on the field, Data by Focus Area. Under the field, Select a Focus
Area, choose 15 - Injury and Violence Prevention from the pop-up menu.
Click on the button, Include related objectives from other focus areas
in the table. Click on the Submit button to get your results. This
data set is provided by the National
Center for Health Statistics via CDC
Wonder.
- Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
Crime data from law enforcement agencies across the United States.
View the annual report, Crime
in the United States, which includes tables depicting adolescent
arrests by age and type of crime.
- National
Adolescent Health Information Center (NAHIC): Data Project to Improve
Adolescent and Young Adult Health. National and state-level
profiles of key measures of adolescent and young adult health based
on Healthy People 2010. Includes data about adolescent
violence.
- Title
V Information System (Title V IS). Data from annual Title V
Block Grant applications and reports submitted by all 59 U.S. states
and jurisdictions. To learn about states' efforts to address adolescent
violence prevention, conduct three searches. Select Measurement and
Indicator Data and go to the State Data section. First, select State
Priority Needs Keyword Search and choose Keyword: Intentional/Unintentional
Injuries and Population: Adolescents. Click on Start Search to get
your results. Next, return to Measurement
and Indicator Data and select State Performance Measures. Click
on Search by Keyword/Population. Select Keyword: Intentional/Unintentional
Injuries and Population: Adolescents. Click on Start Search to get
your results. Next, return to Measurement
and Indicator Data and select State Outcome Measures. Click on
Search by Keyword/Population. Select Keyword: Intentional/Unintentional
Injuries and Population: Adolescents. Click on Start Search to get
your results. Title V IS is a service of the Maternal
and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
- WISQARS
(Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System).
Data on injury-related deaths, violent deaths, and nonfatal injuries
(including violence-related injuries) for all age groups. WISQARS is
presented by CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention
and Control (NCIPC). WISQARS data was used to compile Youth
Violence: National and State Statistics at a Glance (2009).
- Youth
Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS): Youth Online. Data
about health-risk behaviors and the prevalence of obesity and asthma
among adolescents and young adults. To identify adolescent violence
data, select a location (e.g., United States, state/territory, local).
Select the health topic, Unintentional Injuries and Violence. Select
a subtopic (e.g., Carried a gun) and a year(s) to get your results.
Click on Make comparisons to compare two locations. Youth Online is
a service of CDC's Division
of Adolescent and School Health (DASH).
- Also see the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service (NCJRS), the Statistical Briefing
Book, the National Youth Gang Survey Analysis,
and the National Center for Education Statistics: Crime
and Safety Surveys (CSS).
- Center
for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) Databases.
Information about violence-related research and literature; curricula
and videotapes; prevention, intervention, and treatment programs; and
survey instruments for program evaluation. CSPV is a research center
within the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado
at Boulder.
- ClinicalTrials.gov.
Information about clinical research studies for a wide range of diseases,
conditions, and health behaviors. Included are a summary of the purpose
of the study, information about recruiting status, criteria for patient
participation, location of the trial, and contact information. To identify
studies, click on Search for Clinical Trials; enter the search phrase violence
AND (youth OR adolescents); and click on Search to get your results.
ClinicalTrials.gov is a service of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Maternal
and Child Health Library at the National
Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH),
Georgetown University. Databases to collect, manage, and disseminate
knowledge about MCH, with special emphasis on knowledge gained from
initiatives and programs supported by the Maternal
and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). The library's bibliographic database
is
MCHLine®. Online catalog of materials in the Maternal and Child Health Library. To identify items on the topic, type adolescen violence in the keyword field of the MCHLine® search form. To narrow your search, add keywords (e.g., school) or a publication year or range of years. Also see the library's bibliography about bullying.
Also see the MCH Organizations Database and the MCH Projects Database.
- National
Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Abstracts Database.
Summaries of more than 205,000 criminal justice, juvenile justice,
and substance abuse reports, articles, and audiovisual products from
the United States and internationally. These resources include statistics,
research findings, program descriptions, congressional hearing transcripts,
and training materials. To identify items, type violence AND
(youth or adolescents) in the General Search field and add
a publication date range. Click on Search to get your results. Conduct
additional searches using terms, such as bullying, gun violence, gangs,
school safety, school violence, or victims. NCJRS is a federally sponsored
resource offering justice and substance use information to support
research, policy, and program development worldwide.
Also see the NCJRS online resource guide with links to selections of publications about adolescent violence and the NCJRS newsletter, JUSTINFO.
- National
Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool
(RePORT): RePORTER. Information about reports, data, and
analyses of NIH research activities, including information on NIH expenditures
and the results of NIH-supported research. To identify information
on the topic, enter youth violence in the search field
and click on Submit query to get your results. Narrow your search by
selecting a state or adding terms to other search fields.
- National
Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center Materials Database.
Information about youth violence prevention materials that include
fact sheets, reports, bulletins, brochures, manuals, and training guides.
- PubMed.
Over 19 million citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE and life
science journals. Citations may include links to full-text articles from
PubMed Central or publisher Web sites. To identify articles on the topic,
enter the term violence NOT domestic violence in the search box.
Click on Limits and make the following selections on the page: select a
date (e.g. Published in the last 2 years); click on Languages: English;
click on Ages: Adolescent; and select Search Field Tags: MeSH Major Topic.
Click on Search to get your results. To narrow your search further or for
additional searches, use the MeSH
(Medical Subject Headings) database to identify terms (e.g., (violence
NOT domestic violence) AND schools). PubMed is a service of the National
Library of Medicine (NLM).
- SafetyLit:
Injury Prevention Literature Update. Abstracts of reports and
journal articles about injury occurrence and risk factors. To identify
literature about adolescent violence, select Search
Archives. Limit your search to a range of publication years, and
click on the box, Limit your search to these categories. Click on Deselect
All. Select Age: Adolescents, and select Violence and Weapons Issues.
Select any other topic relevant to your area of interest (e.g., Program
and Other Evaluations, Effectiveness Studies). Click on Search Archives
to get your results. Subscribe to
the SafetyLit Update and receive a weekly e-mail notice about
new additions to the database. SafetyLit is presented by the San Diego
State University, Graduate School of Public Health in collaboration
with the World Health Organization.
- Also see the Minnesota Center Against
Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA), the Firearms Research
Digest, the Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH)
Database of Research, and the Educational Resources
Information Center (ERIC) Database.
- Community
Pediatrics Grants Database. Archive of community pediatrics
grant projects. Identify projects by selecting Developmental Stage/Age:
Adolescents and Topic: Injury and Violence. Click on Advanced Submit
to get your results. The database is a service of the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
- Discretionary
Grant Information System (DGIS). Information for more
than 900 grants issued by the Maternal
and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). To identify grants, select Abstracts.
Type violence adolescents in the search field, and
click on All the words. Click on Search to get your results. To find
products and publications produced by MCHB training grantees, select
Program Data; select Training; and select Search Products and Publications.
Type violence adolescents in the search field, and
click on All the words. Click on Search to get your results.
- FindYouthInfo.gov:
Program Directory. Information about evidence-based, federally
funded youth programs. Search by risk factor (e.g., victimization and
exposure to violence) or protective factor (e.g., Involvement with
positive peer group activities). Click on Search to get your results.
- Health
Services Research Projects in Progress (HSRProj). Information
about ongoing health services research and public health projects.
To identify projects, enter (violence NOT domestic violence) AND
adolescents in the search box. Click on Search to get your results.
HSRProj is funded by the National
Library of Medicine (NLM).
- Maternal
and Child Health Library at the National
Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH),
Georgetown University.
MCH Organizations Database. Information about more than 2,000 government, professional, and voluntary organizations involved in MCH activities, primarily at a national level. Organizations focusing on adolescent violence prevention appear in a list produced from the database.
MCH Projects Database. Online catalog of projects funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) through October 1, 2002. To identify projects that focus on the topic, type adolescents violence in the abstract field of the database search form. Click on Search MCH Projects to get your results. Also see MCHB's Discretionary Grant Information System (DGIS).
- National
Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP).
Information about interventions for the prevention and treatment of
mental health conditions and substance use disorders. To identify interventions,
click on Find Interventions. Click on Areas of Interest: Violence prevention
and Study Populations/Age: Adolescent. Click on Search to get your
results. NREPP is a service of the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- National
Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center Organizations Database.
Information about organizations (most of which are federal organizations)
related to adolescent violence prevention.
- Prevention
Research Centers (PRC): Research Projects. Information
about research projects conducted by CDC-funded Prevention Research
Centers, which work as an interdependent network of community, academic,
and public health partners to conduct prevention research and promote
the wide use of practices proven to promote good health. To identify
adolescent violence prevention projects, click on Find research project
descriptions that meet specified criteria. Select Health Topics: Violence
prevention, and select Age Group: Adolescents. Click on Search to get
your results.
- Also see the Center for the Study and
Prevention of Violence (CSPV) Databases, the Minnesota
Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA), and the Directory
of Crime Victim Services.
- National
Criminal Justice Reference Service: JUSTINFO. This biweekly
electronic newsletter announces new federally sponsored publications,
events, and funding and training opportunities about criminal justice,
juvenile justice, and substance abuse.
- Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
JUVJUST. This service sends announcements about juvenile justice and other youth service-related publications, funding opportunities, and events.
OJJDP News @ a Glance. This bimonthly electronic newsletter highlights OJJDP activities, publications, funding opportunities, and upcoming events.
- Also see SafetyLit, GANGINFO,
the HELP for Victim Service Providers Web Forum, and
the Safe Start Center e-Newsletter.
- See the Maternal and Child Health Library's family resource brief, Teen Violence Prevention.
Resources on Specific Aspects of Adolescent Violence
- Bullying
- Dating Violence
- Family Violence
- Firearms
- Gangs
- Media Violence
- School Violence
- Suicide
- Violent Crime Victims
- Center for
Safe and Responsible Internet Use (CSRIU): Cyberbullying.
Articles and guides for educators, families, and students about cyberbullying
(i.e., the sending or posting of harmful or cruel text or images using
the Internet or other digital communication devices).
- Center
for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP): ABCs of Bullying. Addressing,
Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression.
Online course that examines the causes and effects of bullying, prevention
techniques and programs, screening, treatment options, and the legal
and ethical issues surrounding bullying. The course is designed for
educators, health professionals, and families.
- Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Electronic Aggression, New
Technology and Youth Violence. Journal articles, issue
briefs, and a tip sheet about adolescents and electronic aggression
(i.e., behaving aggressively in an electronic environment).
- Education
Development Center: Eyes on Bullying. Tools to help child
care providers, educators, and families prevent, identify, and address
bullying.
- Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Resources
to support school gay-straight alliances, teacher-training tools, contact
information for local GLSEN chapters, and other materials for families
and educators to provide a more in-depth understanding of how to address
anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender bias in their schools
and to make schools safer for all students. GLSEN is a national education
organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Initiatives
include
No Name-Calling Week. Planning materials, lesson plans, and other resources for this annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an ongoing dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities.
- Olweus
Bullying Prevention Program. Program information, tools,
and educational materials for this comprehensive, schoolwide program
designed for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools to reduce
and prevent bullying problems and improve peer relations. The Olweus
program is presented by Clemson University and the Hazelden Foundation.
- PACER
Center: National Center for Bullying Prevention. Classroom
activity ideas and tools, video clips, fact sheets, and a blog for
educators and families about bullying, with a special focus on children
with disabilities. Features separate Web sites for school-age children
and adolescents. Some fact sheets are available in Spanish and Somali.
- Take
a Stand. Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now! Research and program
information, video clips, podcasts, tip sheets, and Spanish-language
materials for this national public health campaign about bullying awareness,
prevention, and intervention. Includes resources for children, adolescents,
parents, educators, and health professionals. Cyberbullying and state
laws about bullying are among the topics addressed. The campaign was
developed by the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA) in partnership with more than 70
health, safety, education, and faith-based organizations.
Also see the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) webcast about this campaign, What You Need to Know to Stop Bullying Now! in Your School and Community. (2009).
- Sampson R. 2009. Bullying
in Schools. Washington, DC: Department
of Justice. This guide summarizes knowledge gained from past studies
in the United States and other western countries about the extent and
nature of the problem of bullying in schools, methods for analyzing local
problems, and how police can reduce school bullying and the harm caused
by it.
- See the Maternal and
Child Health Bureau (MCHB) webcast, Cyberbullying:
Tools and Tips for Prevention and Intervention (2009).
- See the National
Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention issue
briefs, Preventing
Cyberbullying in Schools and the Community (2009) and Social
and Emotional Learning and Bullying Prevention. (2009).
- See the Maternal and Child Health Library's bibliography about
bullying.
- Also see the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP), Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
(CSPV), Children's Safety Network (CSN), and Minnesota
Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA).
- See the section, Dating
Violence Among Adolescents, in the Maternal and Child Health Library's
knowledge path, Domestic
Violence.
- See the Maternal and Child Health Library's knowledge path, Domestic
Violence, and the Child
Maltreatment section of the knowledge path, Emotional,
Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents.
- Harvard
Injury Control Research Center (HICRC). Information about research
programs, conferences, and seminars on adolescent violence, particularly
involving firearms. Resources and initiatives include
Firearms Research Digest. Citations for journal articles from the social science, criminology, legal, medical, and public health literature concerning firearms.
Means Matter: Suicide, Guns, and Public Health. Program information, education materials, and research about the relationship between firearms at home and increased risk of suicide.
- PAX Real
Solutions to Gun Violence. Information and materials for its
national initiatives:
ASK Campaign (Asking Saves Kids) encourages parents to ask if there are guns in the homes where their children play. ASK is a collaborative effort with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
National Safe Schools Week aims to empower students to keep their schools safe by encouraging them to speak up against school violence, including gun violence.
Also see the SPEAK UP hotline.
- Children's Defense Fund. 2009. Protect
Children, Not Guns 2009. Washington, DC: Children's
Defense Fund (CDF). This annual report documents the impact on children
and adolescents of weak gun laws and easy access to guns. The report
includes information on gun homicides, suicides, and unintentional shooting
deaths by age group, race/ethnicity, and state.
- Also see the Center for the Study and Prevention
of Violence (CSPV).
- National
Gang Center (NGC). Research and program information and tools
to assist in developing and implementing effective community-based
gang prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies. Includes
training information, gang-related state legislation and municipal
codes, and an updated list of newspaper articles on nationwide gang
activity. NGC is supported by the Department
of Justice. Resources include
GANGINFO. This electronic forum is for professionals working with adolescent gangs.
Guide to Assessing Your Community's Youth Gang Problem. (2009).
National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Analysis and findings from the ongoing survey of law-enforcement agencies to assess the extent of adolescent gang problems by measuring the presence, characteristics, and behaviors of local gangs in jurisdictions throughout the United States.
OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model: Planning for Implementation. (2009). [Manual].
- National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education,
and Families. 2010. Preventing
Gang Violence and Building Communities Where Young People Thrive. Washington,
DC: National League of Cities Institute
for Youth, Education, and Families. This toolkit draws upon lessons
learned from the California Cities Gang Prevention Network to identify
strategies for reducing gang violence and victimization. Each of the 13
network cities is implementing a comprehensive gang-reduction plan that
blends prevention, intervention, and enforcement techniques.
- See the National Child Traumatic Stress
Network (NCTSN) fact sheets, Trauma
in the Lives of Gang-Involved Youth: Tips for Volunteers and Community
Organizations (2009) and Your
Child and Gangs: What You Need to Know About Trauma. Tips for Parents (2009).
- Also see the Center for the Study and Prevention
of Violence (CSPV), Minnesota Center Against Violence
and Abuse (MINCAVA), and the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
- Center
for Media Literacy (CML): Violence in the Media. Articles and
educational materials about media violence. CML is a nonprofit membership
organization supporting media-literacy education for families and schools
nationwide.
- Center
on Media and Child Health (CMCH). Online
catalog of research articles examining the relationship between
media exposure and health-risk behaviors, including violence. CMCH
is a joint project of Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School,
and Harvard School of Public Health.
- Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
and Brookings Institution. 2008. Children
and Electronic Media. Princeton, NJ: Woodrow Wilson School of Public
and International Affairs; Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. (The
Future of Children; v. 18, no. 1; Spring 2008). This publication features
nine articles about the influence of electronic media on the well-being
of children and adolescents. Topics include how exposure to different media
forms is linked with such aspects of child well-being as school achievement,
cognition, engagement in extracurricula activities, social interaction
with peers and family, aggression, fear and anxiety, risky behaviors, and
healthy lifestyle choices. Media violence is addressed. An executive summary,
policy brief, and article summaries accompany the publication.
- Also see the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) and the Minnesota Center Against Violence
and Abuse (MINCAVA).
- Center
for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV): Safe Communities~Safe
Schools (SCSS). Planning guide, fact sheets, and other materials
to assist schools with the development, implementation, and assessment
of an individualized safe school plan. The goal of this model is to
create and maintain a positive and welcoming school climate, free of
drugs, violence, intimidation, and fear. CSPV is located at the University
of Colorado and funded by the Department of Justice.
- Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention: School Violence. Data,
policies, and program information about school violence. Resources
and initiatives include
Healthy Youth! Injury and Violence. Information about school health policies and programs and guidelines for developing school health programs to prevent violence.
Understanding School Violence. (2010). [Fact sheet].
School Health Index (SHI). Self-assessment and planning guide to help schools identify the strengths and weaknesses of their school-health-promotion policies and programs; develop an action plan for improving student health; and involve teachers, parents, students, and the community in improving school policies, programs, and services. Violence prevention is one of the health topics covered.
Also see the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS).
- Educational
Resources Information Center (ERIC) Database. Information about
journal articles, research reports, teaching guides, curricula, conference
papers, and books covering all aspects of education-related issues.
To identify resources on the topic, click on Advanced Search. Under
Search for, select Descriptors (from Thesaurus) and type (adolescents
OR youth) AND violence in the field to the right. Select a publication
date or date range, and click on Search to get your results. To narrow
your search further or for additional searches, use the ERIC
Thesaurus to identify terms (e.g., bullying, weapons). ERIC is
sponsored by the Department of Education.
- Hamilton Fish
Institute. Guides for creating safer schools and involving
the community in supporting students. The Institute is part of George
Washington University and funded by the Department of Justice.
- National
Center for Education Statistics: Crime and Safety Surveys (CSS).
School crime and safety data and reports on topics that include victimization,
gangs, bullying, and weapons. NCES is part of the Department of Education.
A recent report is
Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools. Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2007–08. (2009).
- National
Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention.
Program information, Webinars, research briefs, evidence-based intervention
fact sheets, and other resources. The center provides technical assistance
and training to school districts and communities that receive federal
grants for initiatives to foster resilience, promote mental health,
and prevent youth violence and mental health and behavioral challenges.
Resources include
Safe Schools/Healthy Students Evaluation Monograph. (2009). [Report].
Strengthening Communities: A Review of the Youth Violence Prevention Grant Program. (2008). [Report].
- National
Parent Teacher Association (PTA): School Violence. Articles
for parents about bullying, gangs, security, and violence prevention.
The National PTA is an association of parents, teachers, school administrators,
students, and other child advocates that work to improve the welfare
of children and adolescents.
- School Mental
Health Project (SMHP). Resources for mental health professionals,
educators, and parents about safe schools and violence prevention,
including articles, practice tools, training aids, and resource packets.
SMHP is part of the University of California, Los Angeles.
- Office of Justice Programs and International Association
of Chiefs of Police. 2009. Guide
for Preventing and Responding to School Violence (2nd ed.). Washington,
DC: Office of Justice Programs; Alexandria, VA: International Association
of Chiefs of Police. This guide presents strategies and approaches for
members of school communities to consider when creating safer learning
environments. The document discusses the roles of administrators, teachers,
staff, students, parents, the community, and law enforcement in preventing
school violence, threat assessment, crisis planning and preparation, legal
considerations, and working with the media.
- Also see the Bullying section,
the Children's Safety Network (CSN), the Minnesota
Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA) and PAX.
- See the section, Suicide,
in the Maternal and Child Health Library's knowledge path, Emotional,
Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents.
- National
Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC): Youth Initiative. Tools
for adolescents about how to recognize a crime, what emotions to expect,
and how to receive or give help. Resources for schools, youth organizations,
victim service agencies, and other community groups to reach out to
adolescents and develop ways to make it safer for them to disclose
their victimization. NCVC also offers a toll-free
hotline for victims of all types of crime.
- National
Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Resources for families,
educators, health and social services professionals, policymakers,
and the media about child and adolescent traumatic stress, effective
interventions, data, and terrorism and disaster preparedness to lessen
traumatic effects. Some materials are available in Spanish. NCTSN aims
to raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized
children and adolescents, their families, and communities throughout
the United States. NCTSN is funded by the Center
for Mental Health Services.
- Office
for Victims of Crime Resource Center. Program, training,
and funding information and publications for victim service providers
and allied professionals about victim services, victim-witness programs,
and violent crime. Includes links to research and statistics about
victims of crime. Resources include
2010 National Crime Victims' Rights Week Resource Guide. (2010).
Directory of Crime Victim Services. Search by location, type of victimization, services needed, and agency type.
HELP for Victim Service Providers Web Forum. These online discussion groups serve as a forum for victim service providers and allied professionals to share ideas about best practices.
Victim Impact: Listen and Learn Curriculum. (2009). This curriculum aims to help offenders become aware of the impact that crime has on victims and then take responsibility and make amends for their actions.
What You Can Do If You Are a Victim of Crime (rev. ed.). (2010). [Brochure]. Also available in Spanish.
- Safe
Start Center. Issue briefs, research and evaluation reports,
service delivery strategies, and other tools for health and social
services professionals, educators, and families to reduce the impact
of children's and adolescents' exposure to violence. Some materials
are available in Spanish. Safe Start is funded by the Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Resources
include
Children's Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey. (2009). [Report].
Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children's Exposure to Violence. A Guide for Families. (2009). Also available in Spanish.
Safe Start: Promising Approaches Communities. Working Together to Help Children Exposed to Violence. (2008). [Report].
Safe Start Center e-Newsletter. This periodic newsletter announces events and resources about the impact of exposure to family and community violence on children and their families.
- Linh Vuong L, Silva F, Marchionna S. 2009. Children
Exposed to Violence. Oakland, CA: National
Council on Crime and Delinquency. This report describes what is known
about the effects of violence on children and adolescents, the types
of violence that they are exposed to, and what programs might most effectively
mitigate the trauma in both the short and the long term.
- See the Maternal and Child Health Library's resource guide, Reaching
Out to Children and Youth Following Disasters.
- Also see CDC's Guide to Community Preventive
Services.
Adolescent Violence Prevention: Knowledge Path, 6th ed. (June
2010).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., Maternal and Child Health Library.
Reviewers: Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., Maternal and Child Health Library.
(External Review Pending)
