Role of Families and Care Givers as Risk and Protective Factors in Preventing Youth Violence

• NCJ Number: 191655
• Journal: Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: 2000 Pages: 61-77
• Author(s): Le'Roy E. Reese; Elizabeth M. Vera; Thomas R. Simon; Robin M. Ikeda
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper provides an overview of the scope and magnitude of youth violence and reviews the literature on individual, interpersonal, and macro-level risk factors for violence. Its main objective was to explore the importance of families and other caregivers to youth in violence prevention efforts.

Abstract

The majority of youth violence prevention programs have targeted individuals and their behavior. There is a growing awareness and need to broaden these prevention efforts of youth violence and expand to include families and caregivers. This paper begins with an overview of youth violence and then explores the theoretical and empirical rationale for emphasizing the importance of families and caregivers in youth prevention programs. It continues by highlighting examples of prevention programs including family members and describes a few of the challenges these programs involving families and caregivers involves. It was noted that prevention efforts that involve families provide a critical opportunity to address youth in the context which has the most influence on their development.