Exposure to violence jeopardizes mental health and school performance
Contact: Heather Neumeister, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, 215-456-6125
Embargo: Saturday, May 13, 10:15 am
New research suggests that children who have been frequently exposed to violence perform worse in school, are more anxious and depressed, and have lower self-esteem than children with less exposure.
Hallam Hurt, MD, Chair of the Neonatology Division at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA, studied 113 inner-city children from birth until they were seven years old. The research findings, entitled "Exposure to Violence: Psychological and Academic Correlates in Child Witnesses," are being presented on May 13 at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Evaluations show that among seven-year-old children who are frequently exposed to violence in their everyday lives:
74 percent have heard guns being shot;
60 percent worry some or much of the time that they may get killed or die;
20 percent sometimes wish that they were dead;
19 percent have seen a dead body outside;
13 percent have seen someone in their home get shot or stabbed.
"Although inner-city children are frequently exposed to violence, there are few data regarding the psychological and academic effects on this population," says Dr. Hurt. "This study shows parents, teachers, and other community leaders how severely inner-city children are affected by an environment with violence."
To evaluate a child's distress level, researchers conducted a series of tests. One test named "Things I Have Seen and Heard" assessed a child's exposure to violence in the community. For example, a psychologist asked each child about the details of his or her life experiences. If a child mentioned a traumatic event, such as witnessing a drug deal, the psychologist followed up with more questions about that event. When appropriate, the child was referred to a counselor.
Another test, called "Levonn", assessed the child's emotional reactions to the violence he or she has experienced. Using a cartoon character named Levonn, children were asked if their feelings were similar to Levonn's. In one scene, Levonn is at a birthday party where he is the only person not having fun. The child was then asked how often he or she feels like Levonn.
School reports determined a child's academic performance, and a Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory measured self-esteem. Parent and Teacher Report Forms of the Child's Behavior Check List evaluated the child's behavior
Each child was then categorized as having high or low exposure to violence. By comparing inner-city children with high exposure to violence to children with lower exposure, researchers found that the high exposure group had lower grade point averages, more days absent from school, lower self-esteem and greater depression and anxiety. Researchers did not find a correlation between a caregiver's awareness of his or her child's anxiety and the actual anxiety of the child.
"For children growing up in poverty, violence is almost an everyday occurrence-whether they hear a gun shot or they observe a brutal act," says Dr. Hurt. "While the media tends to focus on major events related to violence, such as school shootings, there are countless young children going to school everyday with heavy burdens from exposure to violence. The first step to improving a child's mental health and academic performance is for caregivers to simply recognize what is happening to the child."
Dr. Hurt's research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Einstein Society.
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, a member of the Jefferson Health System, provides healthcare services through Albert Einstein Medical Center, Germantown Community Health Services, Willow Terrace at Germantown Campus (a nursing home), MossRehab, Willowcrest (a center for subacute care), Belmont Behavioral Health and a number of outpatient and satellite locations. Einstein also operates a primary care network, Einstein Neighborhood Healthcare.
# # #
RSS