NCJ Number
153308
Date Published
1992
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This booklet presents ideas on the causes of violence among children and youth and presents suggestions for parents and educators to prevent violence and promote healthier, more acceptable behavior in children.
Abstract
The text emphasizes that raising strong children differs from raising aggressive children. It also notes that children who have not learned appropriate ways to cope with emotions such as anger, anxiety, or frustration can experience episodes of aggressive, acting-out behavior. Young children who display a pattern of temper tantrums that often become physical, preadolescents who become violent or vindictive when corrected, and teenagers who initiate physical fights or are cruel to other people or animals all exhibit indicators of a developing problem with violent behavior. Violence causes include family factors, societal factors, and precipitating factors such as stress and peer-group influences. Alcohol and other drugs should be viewed as precipitating factors rather than the primary causes. The most important thing a parent can do to raise nonviolent chldren is to model nonviolent behavior and use appropriate methods of discipline. Other actions are also important. Schools can help prevent violence through their discipline policies, seminars for parents and children, and providing education in peer mediation and conflict resolution. Private counseling, local mental health agencies, and court interventions are all outside sources of help in managing angry, acting-out children