Question

Evaluate the impact of exposure to societal violence on the developmental process during middle childhood.

Refer to any scholarly article that connects to the topic to create a Word document with a 500-750 word-count. Include factual connections with in –text citations and a reference page. All writing must adhere to APA standard format. Minimum of two references including text are required.

Answer 1

The communities that children grow up in can have a profound effect on the adults when they become. Many children are raised in a calm and supportive environment with a wealth of resources. On the other hand there are millions of children who grow up under the conditions of adversity. exposure to community violence is among the most detrimental experiences children can have which impacts their thoughts, feelings and actions. Community violence refers to interpersonal violence in the community that is not perpetrated by a family member and is intended to cause harm.

Internationally too many children and youth experience high levels of community violence exposure. There a clear saying that “ violence begets violence”,Children who experience violence are more likely to become ensnared in a cycle of violence that leads to future violent behaviour including aggression, delinquency, violent crime and child abuse.(1)

In addition violence exposure has been shown to contribute to mental health problems during childhood and adolescence. psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder are found at Higher rates among youth exposed to community violence.(2) jute document the impact of violence on child outcomes, a growing body of research has examined the process underlying the heterogeneity of this impact particularly for children of different ages. violence exposure influences development across multiple domains at different stages. It can impact children's neurological, physical, emotional and social development and lead to a cascade of problems that interfere with adjustment.

For very young children repeated exposure to community violence can contribute to problems forming positive and trusting relationships necessary for children to explore their environment and develop a secure sense of self.(3) for children who are” are incubated in terror”the neuro biological adaptations that allow the child to survive in violent settings can ultimately lead to violence and mental health problems even when they are no longer adapt .

Human survival depends on activation of the fight or flight response in response to potential threats. Yet for some children heightened exposure to community violence creates a constant state of fear activating the stress response apparatus in the central nervous system. These reactions set the stage for mental health problems ,distorted combinations and problem behaviour .The connection between community violence exposure, social cognitive development and behaviour is best illustrated by examining the mechanism implicated in the cycle of violence. As children grow up and develop a more sophisticated cognitive understanding of the social world, the neurodevelopmental blueprint linked to early violence exposure can easily translate to a distorted world view. For some children it can lead to Hyper Vigilance to threat, miss attribution of intent and willingness to endorse violence .

To conclude more than 50% of children and youth have experienced some level of community violence exposure. This experience has been shown to have a negative impact on development leading to increased emotional, social and behaviour problems. In other words children who see or experience violence around them are more likely to use violence as they get older and into adulthood. The effects of violence exposure are particularly problematic for ank children and have been shown to adversely impact brain development. In addition to higher levels of aggressive behaviour psychiatric disorders including depression anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are found at Higher rates among youth exposed to community violence .

Parents can limit children's exposure to violence even in more violent neighborhoods by carefully monitoring and supervising their activities. they can also cause violence exposure in other settings for example by limiting children's exposure to violent television movies and video games. Given that violence exposure impacts children's stress reactivity prevention and intervention programs that help children understand and manage stress are an important ingredient in promoting resilience and adjustment for children exposed to violence.

References:

1.Dodge, K. A., Bates,J.E., & Pettit,G.S.(1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250,1678-1683.

2.Sheidow, A., Gorman-Smith,D., Tolan, P.H., & Henry, D. (2001). Family and community characteristics: Risk factors for violence exposure in inner-city youth. Journal of Community Psychology,29,345-360.

3.Osofsky, J. D. (1995). The effect of exposure to violence on young children. American Psychologist, 50, 782-188.