Neighborhood Violence: A Case Study

If headlines were to be believed as any indication of our children’s safety in the inner-city, we should be very worried. Our streets, seemingly have turned to war zones and playgrounds becoming battlefields. Leaving our children battle fatigued and lost. Those would be the lucky ones. For many, too many are mortally wounded and many more are left with the physical and often silent mental wounds of this unnamed and unrecognized war. While research shows that the likelihood of children exposed to violence are higher in an inner-city setting than that of a suburban one, we are beginning to recognize the often, long term and lasting effects of this disturbing type of violence. Does your zip code predict your exposure to violence and often traumatic consequences that often plague prolonged exposure to violence? If this is so, what does your zip code say about treatment outcomes after prolonged exposure to violence?
What is the Problem?
Neighborhood and community violence are on the rise in inner-cities throughout the United States, randomized …show more content…
Exposure to trauma in early childhood can have a disruptive and disorganizing effect on early physical, cognitive, social and emotional development (Loeb, Stettler, Galvia, Stein, & Chinitz, 2011). A complete picture and the total impact of trauma in its entirety during early adolescents may never be quantified because of the limited and often misinterpreted communication of the affected children and their limited abilities to adequately describe their symptoms. In addition, there are very few empirically assessment models that are both effective and affordable available to diagnose children with PTSD. What good is treatment if the people who need it, has no way to obtain it? The answer to that question is a different