Youth violence

// News / Ask Dr. Pat

By Patrick J. McGrath, OC, PhD, FRSC

Question:

I am a senior and I see on television or in the newspaper more teenagers being violent. Just this weekend, there were two more stabbings. I know most teenagers are good but I am becoming more afraid to go out. We have to do something about this violence.

Dr. Pat responds:

Your concerns are understandable. We all take sensible precautions of walking with a friend, being deliberate and confident, and keeping to lighted and safe areas at night.

While it is good to be careful, we cannot let our fears keep us from being out in our city. Violence, although worrisome, is rare. Fear is common. Although we fear violence more, the actual risk of violence has gone down over the last generation. This is probably because of the shifts in population.

Teenagers and young adults in their 20s, especially males, are more likely to be violent than older folks. This has always been true. Maybe it is because of hormones; maybe it is the young brain that has not quite developed all of its reflective power; maybe it is the way we raise boys.

Most of the time, the victims of violence are other young people, usually friends or acquaintances of those causing violence. There are some neighbourhoods that are more violent. Even the most difficult areas are peaceful most of the time.

The causes of violence are complex. Most of the time there are multiple causes and much violence cannot be easily explained. Some factors that have been implicated in violence include:

poverty and poor living conditions; however, most poor people are not violent
antisocial family situation
poor parenting
witnessing violence and being the target of violence
mental health problems; however, most mentally ill people are not violent
gang membership
not having anything to do
drug abuse

The vast majority of teenagers who are violent had similar but less severe problems when they were younger. Very few teenagers develop serious problems with violent behaviour after they become teens.

Children who are violent may have parents who:

don't keep track of what their children are doing
are often hostile
use harsh punishment
are violent
have problems themselves, for example, with depression, drug, or alcohol abuse

There are two general strategies that we can use to reduce violence.

The first strategy is a policy approach that focuses on things like:

reducing poverty
increasing recreational activities
school programs to prevent bullying
drug education programs
effective law enforcement
support for families and children

Involving teens in the development of programs helps make the programs more acceptable and thus more effective.

The second strategy is to focus on individual children and families by:

teaching families how to manage difficult behaviour, the earlier the better
effectively treating mental health problems and addictions
providing comprehensive treatment programs for violent youth and their families
helping teens succeed in school
helping teens succeed in work

Of course, teenagers that are violent must be made accountable for their actions. We have to have policing that is involved in the community, and that can solve crimes when they occur. We also need a responsive justice system.

We know that several things do not work:

severe punishment, especially jail
programs designed to scare teenagers with threats of severe punishment
talking with them about why they are violent

Calling for severe punishment is the usual knee-jerk response to youth violence. However, there is good evidence that severe punishment, especially putting youth in jail, does not work.

Using the best science can help us select the best policy and treatment methods. We can learn from what has been carefully evaluated.

If we are interested in safety of the community, we have to use methods that work. If we hope to rehabilitate youth from a career of violence and help them become productive, simple approaches such as harsh punishment do not work.

Patrick J. McGrath OC, PhD, FRSC is a clinical psychologist and a researcher. He is Professor of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry at Dalhousie University and Vice President - Research at IWK Health Centre in Halifax. He is also the CEO of the Strongest Families Institute, which provides mental health care to families across Canada.