Violence has come to be recognized as a public health problem, especially violence by and against young African-American males. In response, research on the epidemiology of violence has identified an array of risk factors which pre-disposes individuals to violence. Examination of these risk factors alone, however, has been unable to determine why some individuals are able to avoid making choices which can result in violence while others are not. The aim of the current study is to look beyond traditional risk factors and to examine how high-risk adolescents perceive (1) the violence they are exposed to, and (2) the choice to engage in future violent acts. The goal of this work is to provide an in-depth exploration of how high-risk adolescents perceive the risks of and alternatives to violence in order to increase our understanding of what may deter violence in the future.
Learning Objectives: 1. Differentiate among sub-groups who are more likely to commit acts of gun violence among a sample of high-risk juvenile offenders 2. Apply new methodology for assessing "risk" among adolescents identified as being at high-risk for committing acts of gun violence 3. Learn new approach for developing intervention messages aimed at reducing gun violence
Keywords: Adolescents, Violence Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.