Threat of Violence Grows Even for the Very Young
Preschoolers are at a higher risk of dying from homicide than at any other time in the past 40 years, according to a report out this month from the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau.
The homicide rates in 1990 for infants and children under age 4 rose to their highest levels since 1950--the earliest year the study examined--for all race and gender groups except white females.
Among preschoolers, nonwhite males are the most likely to become homicide victims, as they are in the 10-to-14 and 15-to-19 age groups.
Another study examining violence and young people, published in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, found that adolescents who witnessed or were victims of violence suffered from more depression, anger, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other psychological ills than their peers.
