Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Youth Violence

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

  • 32 Accesses

Definition

Youth violence includes the use of force or threats intended to harm others (David-Ferdon et al. 2016). While often associated with particularly serious acts, such as assault and homicide, the term also applies to less serious but still consequential behaviors, such as physical fighting (simple assault) and bullying. Sexual violence, dating violence, and intimate partner violence co-occur with youth violence and are related to many of the same risk and protective factors (Wilkins et al. 2014).

Risk factors are variables that increase the likelihood of violence, whereas protective factors are variables that reduce the likelihood of violence by interrupting risk processes. Studies also have identified promotive factors, which are variables that lessen youth violence, but are independent of risk factors. Knowledge of risk, protective, and promotive factors is used to plan and implement universal, selective, and indicated prevention and intervention programs (Institute of...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Biglan, A., Brennan, P. A., Foster, S. L., & Holder, H. D. (2004). Helping adolescents at risk: Prevention of multiple problem behaviors. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. F. (2007). Prevention is a sound public and private investment. Criminology and Public Policy, 6, 377–398.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. F., Fagan, A. A., Gavin, L. E., Greenberg, M. T., Irwin, C. E., Ross, D. A., & Shek, D. T. (2012). Worldwide application of the prevention science research base in adolescent health. The Lancet, 379, 1653–1664. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60238-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Youth violence. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Promoting safe, stable, and nurturing relationships: A strategic direction for child maltreatment prevention. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Injury Prevention and Control.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Preventing youth violence. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (1999a). Initial impact of the fast track prevention trial for conduct problems: I. The high-risk sample. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 631–647.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (1999b). Initial impact of the fast track prevention trial for conduct problems: II. Classroom effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 648–657.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2002a). Evaluation of the first 3 years of the fast track prevention trial with children at high risk for adolescent conduct problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 19–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2002b). The implementation of the Fast Track program: An example of a large-scale prevention science efficacy trial. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • David-Ferdon, C., Vivolo-Kantor, A. M., Dahlberg, L. L., Marshall, K. J., Rainford, N., & Hall, J. E. (2016). A comprehensive technical package for the prevention of youth violence and associated risk behaviors. Retrieved from Atlanta.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, D., & Fagan, A. A. (2017). The prevention of crime. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, A. A., & Catalano, R. F. (2013). What works in youth violence prevention: A review of the literature. Research on Social Work Practice, 23, 141–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, A. A., Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Farrington, D. P. (2019). Communities that care: Building community engagement and capacity to prevent youth behavior problems. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, D. C., & Wilson, D. B. (2003). Characteristics of effective school-based substance abuse prevention. Prevention Science, 4, 27–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, M. T., Kusch, M. A., & Riggs, N. (2004). The PATHS curriculum: Theory and research on neurocognitive development and school success. In J. E. Zins, R. P. Weissberg, M. C. Wang, & H. J. Walberg (Eds.), Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? (pp. 170–188). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, R., Fuqua-Whitley, D., Wethington, H., Lowy, J., Crosby, A., & Fullilove, M. (2007). Effectiveness of universal school-based programs to prevent violent and aggressive behavior: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33, S114–S129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., & Catalano, R. F. (1992). Communities that care: Action for drug abuse prevention. San Francisco: Jossey-Boss.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., & Herrenkohl, T. I. (2003). Prevention in the school years. In D. P. Farrington & J. Coid (Eds.), Early prevention of adult antisocial behaviour. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Von Cleve, E., & Catalano, R. F. (1991). Reducing early childhood aggression: Results of a primary prevention program. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 208–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., Kosterman, R., Abbott, R., & Hill, K. G. (1999). Preventing adolescent health-risk behaviors by strengthening protection during childhood. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 153(3), 226–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Kosterman, R., Catalano, R. F., Hill, K. G., & Abbott, R. D. (2005). Promoting positive adult functioning through social development intervention in childhood: Long-term effects from the Seattle Social Development Project. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 159, 25–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Smith, B. H., Hill, K. G., Kosterman, R., & Catalano, R. F. (2007). Promoting social development and preventing health and behavior problems during the elementary grades: Results from the Seattle Social Development Project. Victims & Offenders, 2, 161–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Kosterman, R., Catalano, R. F., Hill, K. G., & Abbott, R. D. (2008). Effects of social development intervention in childhood fifteen years later. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 162, 1133–1141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Arthur, M. W., Abbott, R. D., & Fagan, A. A. (2009). Results of a type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency: A test of Communities That Care. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163, 789–798.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Monahan, K. C., Abbott, R. D., & Arthur, M. W. (2010). Sustained decreases in risk exposure and youth problem behaviors after installation of the Communities That Care prevention system in a randomized trial. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 166, 141–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Jenson, J. M., Catalano, R. F., Fraser, M. W., Botvin, G. J., Shapiro, V., … Stone, S. (2015). Unleashing the power of prevention. NAM Perspectives. Discussion Paper, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.31478/201506c.

  • Herrenkohl, T. I., Maguin, E., Hill, K. G., Hawkins, J. D., Abbott, R. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2000). Developmental risk factors for youth violence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 26(3), 176–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Medicine. (1994). Reducing risks for mental disorders: Frontiers for prevention intervention research. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenson, J. M. (2010). Advances in preventing childhood and adolescent problem behavior. Research on Social Work Practice, 20, 701–713.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenson, J. M., & Bender, K. (2014). Preventing child and adolescent problem behavior. Evidence-based strategies in schools, families, and communities. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaftarian, S., Robinson, E., Compton, W., Davis, B., & Volkow, N. (2004). Blending prevention research and practice in schools: Critical issues and suggestions. Prevention Science, 5, 1–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kann, L., McManus, T., Harris, W. A., Shanklin, S. L., Flint, K. H., Hawkins, J., … Zaza, S. (2016). Youth risk behavior surveillance – United States, 2015. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Surveillance Summaries, 65(SS-06), 1–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Limbos, M. A., Chan, L. S., Warf, C., Schneir, A., Iverson, E., & Shekelle, P. (2007). Effectiveness of interventions to prevent youth violence a systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33, S65–S74.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Fostering healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral development in children and youth: A national agenda. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell, M. E., Boat, T., & Warner, K. E. (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Donnell, J., Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., Abbott, R. D., & Day, L. E. (1995). Preventing school failure, drug use, and delinquency among low-income children: Long-term intervention in elementary schools. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 65, 87–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheats, K. J., Irving, S. M., Mercy, J. A., Simon, T. R., Crosby, A. E., Ford, D. C., Merrick, M. T., Annor, F. B., & Morgan, R. E. (2018). Violence-related disparities experienced by Black youth and young adults: Opportunities for prevention. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 55(4), 462–469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spoth, R., Redmond, C., Shin, C., Greenberg, M. T., Clair, S., & Feinberg, M. (2007). Substance-use outcomes at 18 months past baseline: The PROSPER community-university partnership trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 32, 395–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkins, N., Tsao, B., Hertz, M., Davis, R., & Klevens, J. (2014). Connecting the dots: An overview of the links among multiple forms of violence. Retrieved from Oakland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. H., Bright, C. L., & Petersen, G. (2011). Racial and ethnic differences in risk and protective factors associated with youth violence. In T. I. Herrenkohl, E. Aisenberg, J. H. Williams, & J. M. Jenson (Eds.), Violence in context: Current evidence on risk, protection, and prevention (pp. 27–48). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, S. J., & Lipsey, M. W. (2007). School-based interventions for aggressive and disruptive behavior: Update of a meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33, S130–S143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, S. J., Lipsey, M. W., & Derzon, J. H. (2003). The effects of school-based intervention programs on aggressive behavior: A meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 136–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Word Health Organization. (2016). Youth violence fact sheet. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2002). World report on violence and health. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Todd I. Herrenkohl

  2. Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Jeffrey M. Jenson

  3. School of Social Work, Social Development Research Group, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Richard F. Catalano

Authors
  1. Todd I. Herrenkohl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jeffrey M. Jenson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Richard F. Catalano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Todd I. Herrenkohl .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Statistiche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy

    Filomena Maggino

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Youngmee Kim

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Herrenkohl, T.I., Jenson, J.M., Catalano, R.F. (2021). Youth Violence. In: Maggino, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_3302-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_3302-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69909-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69909-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation