Health & Medicine
Gun Violence May Hurt The Mental Health Of Young Children
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Jun 08, 2015 04:12 PM EDT
The exposure to gun violence may ultimately take a toll on the mental health of young minds.
New findings published in the journal Pediatrics reveal that roughly 1.75 million children in the United States alone are exposed to violence involving a weapon at some time in their lives, either as a witness or a victim.
"Exposure to violence involving highly lethal weapons is associated with higher trauma symptoms, over and above exposure to all other types of violence, making it a strong contributor to adolescent depression, anxiety and aggression," said study co-author Kimberly Mitchell, a research assistant professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. "These are problems pediatricians encounter often in their practices."
The study involved 4,000 children or their parents or caregivers who were interviewed during a telephone survey and asked about their experience involving violent acts with weapons.
Findings revealed that more than one in four had said they'd seen or experienced violence that involved a gun, knife, stick or similar weapon. Boys in households of lower socioeconomic status who were black or Latino were also at higher risk.
Furthermore, 12.5 percent of respondents reported that they had been a victim of a situation at least once, which later increased the risk of such mental health issues as anger, depression and/or anxiety.
Related Articles
Gun Violence Rises with Fewer Neighborhood Ties
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
TagsHealth, Human, Guns, Gun Violence, Mental Health, Brain, Mind, Weapons, Survey, Statistics, Children, Youth ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Jun 08, 2015 04:12 PM EDT
The exposure to gun violence may ultimately take a toll on the mental health of young minds.
New findings published in the journal Pediatrics reveal that roughly 1.75 million children in the United States alone are exposed to violence involving a weapon at some time in their lives, either as a witness or a victim.
"Exposure to violence involving highly lethal weapons is associated with higher trauma symptoms, over and above exposure to all other types of violence, making it a strong contributor to adolescent depression, anxiety and aggression," said study co-author Kimberly Mitchell, a research assistant professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. "These are problems pediatricians encounter often in their practices."
The study involved 4,000 children or their parents or caregivers who were interviewed during a telephone survey and asked about their experience involving violent acts with weapons.
Findings revealed that more than one in four had said they'd seen or experienced violence that involved a gun, knife, stick or similar weapon. Boys in households of lower socioeconomic status who were black or Latino were also at higher risk.
Furthermore, 12.5 percent of respondents reported that they had been a victim of a situation at least once, which later increased the risk of such mental health issues as anger, depression and/or anxiety.
Related Articles
Gun Violence Rises with Fewer Neighborhood Ties
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone