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Teen violence is a big problem at our country now. Statistics is frightening. Researches say that in 2002, more than 877,700 young people ages 10 to 24 were injured from violent acts. Approximately 1 in 13 required hospitalization (CDC 2004). Homicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 overall. In 2001, 5,486 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered—an average of 15 each day (CDC 2004). More than 50% of all school-associated violent deaths occur at the beginning or end of the school day or during lunch (Anderson et al. 2001). In a nationwide survey, 17% of students reported carrying a weapon (e.g., gun, knife, or club) on one or more days in the 30 days preceding the survey.
Among students nationwide, 33% reported being in a physical fight one or more times in the 12 months preceding the survey (Grunbaum et al. 2004). Nationwide, 9% of students reported being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the 12 months prior to being surveyed.
Let’s imagine the future of those teenagers who are aggressive towards their peers, adults and their own parents. Most likely they will transfer the way they behave into their social and family life. In social life the result of violent behavior is rejection of this person by the society. Violence is too close to crime and therefore punishment by the law. Being violent causes also harm to psychic and these changes are irreversible. So, by adapting to violent behavior of some group, a teenager puts in jeopardy his/her life and lives of significant people.
Psychological effects on the victims of teen violence are none the less dangerous and harmful. Children exposed to gun violence may experience negative short- and long-term psychological effects, including anger, withdrawal, posttraumatic stress, and desensitization to violence. All of these outcomes can feed into a continuing cycle of violence.
Research shows that exposure to violence can cause intrusive thoughts about the traumatic event and sleep disturbances. Therefore, it is not surprising that children and youth exposed to violence commonly experience difficulty concentrating in the classroom, declines in academic performance, and lower educational and career aspirations. Other outcomes associated with exposure to violent trauma include increased delinquency, risky sexual behaviors, and substance abuse.
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