Gun Violence Among Youth Essay

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Chapter One Today, young people are frequently exposed to gun violence. Exposure can be through observation or engagement. This exposure to gun violence has a psychological impact on youth. Bushman, Newman, Calvert, Downey, Dredze, Gottfredson, Jablonski, Masten, Morrill, Neill, Romer, and Webster (2016) define the term “psychological impact” as “referring to feelings or emotions experienced by youth that impact their ability to function normally.” These feelings or emotions can range from anger and/or aggressive behavior to withdrawal and/or antisocial behavior. Garbarino, Bradshaw, and Vorassi (2002) explain how youth exposed to gun violence can suffer from said psychological impact and can become all together desensitized to violence.
The mental health of youth exposed to gun violence is of a global concern. This research will focus on youth between the ages of 10 and 24-years old. Currently, youth are being exposed to gun violence in a variety of ways. Exposure can take place in the home, school, or community (Garbarino et al., 2002). This constant barrage of exposure has an impact on the well-being of youth, despite best efforts of parents and teachers to shield them from gun violence. Youth exposed to community violence is …show more content…

A brief analysis about whether or not the psychological well-being of youth who observes or engages in gun violence is compromised will be presented. Application of the Social Learning Theory, which was used as the theoretical framework to guide this research, will reveal the implications associated with youth exposure to gun violence and how they impact society as a whole. Gaps were identified while conducting a review of the literature and suggestions for future research will be

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