(Natural News) Do you live in an environment where violence is present? A study finds that children and teenagers who experienced living in a violent community have more chances of being antisocial in comparison with those who live in peaceful communities.
A team of
(Natural News) Do you live in an environment where violence is present? A study finds that children and teenagers who experienced living in a violent community have more chances of being antisocial in comparison with those who live in peaceful communities.
A team of researchers from the University of Basel and the University Psychiatric Hospital Basel has carried out a study that focused on the association between a violent community and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. For the study, they have investigated a total of 1,178 children and adolescents who are between the ages of nine and 18 from seven countries in Europe. Of the participants, 516 of them have been diagnosed with a conduct disorder, while the remaining 662 individuals have been considered healthy.
The findings of the study have revealed that children and adolescents who are often exposed to a violent community — where fights, chases, or threats are present — are more likely to be antisocial compared to those who are not exposed to such environment. It has also been shown that as the community violence exposure increases, young people tend to be more antisocial. This behavior has been observed in both healthy participants as wells as in those who already had behavior problems.
“We can rule thus rule out the possibility that associations between community violence exposure and conduct problems are merely due to the fact that those with conduct disorder simply tend to live in more violent neighborhoods,” Linda Kersten, lead author of the study, explains.
One of the most common reasons for referral to mental health services for this age group in Europe is conduct disorder, which can be identified by oppositional, aggressive, and dissocial behavior. Conduct disorder is also frequently associated with a negative, long-term psychological outcome. Individuals with this disorder have a greater chance of school drop-out, occupational failure, further psychiatric disorders, or involvement with the criminal justice system.
The researchers have suggested that their study could help promote prevention programs and support initiatives for those children and teens who have already been exposed to violence. Moreover, their study indicates that extra effort should be done to form prevention programs in communities with high rates of violence. (Related: Mental health screening of teens creates a “crisis” where none exists.)
“The aim is to prevent the potential isolation of young people with a high violence exposure and to thereby [break] the dangerous cycle of young people being exposed to community violence and going on to perpetrate violence against others,” says Christina Stadler of the University Psychiatric Hospital Basel.
The study has been published in the journal Frontiers of Behavioral Neuros