Preventing Teen Violence A Guide for Parents and Professionals

Subjects:

• Psychology » Psychology (General)
• Psychology » Developmental Psychology
• Family Resources » Teen/Adolescent Issues

Reviews:

• [T]his book is to be welcomed, especially since it is addressed not only at professionals but at parents.
  —Internet Law Books Review 2006
• These papers, written by McCarthy, Hutz and other experts in adolescent psychology, examine adolescent aggression from biological, psychological and social perspectives and analyze some of the contributing factors. The contributors describe symptoms and strategies in a way that can be understood and adapted by parents, schools, social service agencies, and criminal justice institutions. Specific topics include substance abuse, suicide and self-harm, sexual aggression, anger management and impulse control, gang violence, and increasing critical thinking skills.
  —Reference & Research Book News May 2006
• High-profile killings at Columbine and elsewhere have focused attention on youth violence and raised questions about how parents, teachers, and professionals in diverse cultures can understand, evaluate, and prevent senseless violence. Including illuminating cross-cultural comparisons from Brazil and Russia, McCarthy and Hutz gather essays that examine precursors of violence (e.g., attitudes and social context) and remedies (e.g., anger management, critical thinking, impulse control). The book demonstrates that aggression can be directed inward (self-harm, substance abuse) or outward. Positive parenting and developing the teen's resilience are important; reducing prejudice, channeling anger, and limiting viewing of violent media can help. Educators can foster safe schools by improving the school environment and helping teens develop a sense of responsibility, self-control, and achievement. Mentoring, building life skills, and introducing the arts into curricula are discussed as avenues to preventing aggression. Resources for school safety and violence prevention are listed. Suicide warnings are discussed briefly. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.
  —Choice 12/1/2006

Table of Contents:

• Preface
  Defining Adolescence and Examining Adolescent Aggression
  School Violence: An Overview m
  Strategies for Educators to Prevent Youth Violence
  Aggression Directed Inward: Substance-Abuse, Suicide, and Self-Harm
  Sexual Aggression among Adolescents
  Anger Management Training Strategies to Reduce Adolescent Violence
  Proactive Parenting in a Changing World
  Teens, Violence, and the "3 R's": Resilience, Rehabilitation, and Recovery
  Integrating Programs and Practices to Reduce Aggression
  Cultural Aspects of Moral Development and Impulse Control
  Reducing Adolescent Aggression by Developing Critical Thinking Skills
  Street Kids, Anti Social Behavior, and Adolescent Aggression
  Philosophies that Foster Violence: Religious, Cultural, and Political Risk Factors