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This Month in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:745.
School-Based Violence Prevention Programs: Systematic Review of Secondary
Prevention Trials
School-based violence prevention programs have become increasingly popular
in the United States and have been adopted as an important strategy to decrease
aggressive behavior. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials
found consistent evidence that these programs can reduce aggressive behavior,
and that the effect seems to be greater in older students and in boys. This
information can be useful to school districts and school physicians in planning
and implementing violence prevention programs.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Handgun Safety: What Do Consumers Learn From Gun Dealers?
With increasing emphasis on safe storage of handguns in homes (especially
homes with children), methods to improve access to information on safe storage
are important. In this study of 96 gun dealers, less than 10% of dealers offered
advice about safe storage of handguns. Only 8% had any on-site educational
materials available on safe storage, and the information given was often inconsistent
with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations. Dealers are currently
an unsolicited but potentially important source of information on safe storage
of handguns.
(SEE ARTICLE)
A 12-Year Prospective Study of the Long-term Effects of Early Child
Physical Maltreatment on Psychological, Behavioral, and Academic Problems
in Adolescence
Many pediatricians care for children who have been physically abused,
but unfortunately, few have the opportunity to learn the outcomes of these
children years later. In this study of 585 children, Lansford and colleagues
examined the outcomes in adolescence of the 11.8% of patients who had been
abused before entering kindergarten, compared with those who were not abused.
Early physical maltreatment resulted in greater school absenteeism; lower
expectations for college attendance; and more emotional, behavioral, cognitive,
and social problems in adolescence. Early intervention to both detect these
children and to treat the consequences of abuse are needed to improve later
health and social functioning.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Incarcerated Adolescents' Experiences as Perpetrators of Sexual Assault
Many crimes committed by delinquents are not reported. In a subgroup
of 805 adolescents who participated in the National Gang Survey, 11% of males
and 10% of females reported that they had sexually assaulted someone. A third
of the male perpetrators and 44% of the female perpetrators had themselves
been sexually victimized. There have been no systematic studies of large programs
aiming to reduce the risk of abused children becoming future perpetrators.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Persistence of Posttraumatic Stress in Violently Injured Youth Seen
in the Emergency Department
There is increasing evidence that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
greatly influences functional outcome after injury. Fein and colleagues followed
youths who sustained injuries from youth violence and found that 25% reported
clinically significant distress. Five months later, 15% of these youth reported
significant PTSD symptoms, with more symptoms among those with greater acute
stress at the time of the initial injury. Treatment of the physical injuries
is not enough; attention must also be paid to the potential for PTSD and its
long-term effect.
(SEE ARTICLE)
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