Universiti Kuala Lumpur

EIB101013: Writing for Academic Purposes

Name: _______________________________ Duration: 1 ½ hours

Question: Based on the following article, write a summary in about 250 words on the causes of
youth violence and how it can be treated . In your summary, include the following using the APA
format: 7th ed.:
i. ONE Direct quotation by the author,
ii. ONE Indirect quotation by the author,
iii. ONE Citation from a secondary source (either Direct or Indirect), and
iv. the reference at the end of the summary.

Youth Violence
By Denise Witmer
July, 2017
Website: Verywellfamily

Did you know that homicide which is a form of violence, is the second leading cause of death
among young people of ages 10 to 24 years in the United States according to the CDC? Violence
is defined  as an extreme form of aggression. Examples of youth violence in today's society
include date rape, homicides, school shootings and fighting. We are aware that today, these types
of violent behaviors are more prevalent in society than they should be. Such violent behaviors
can result in a multitude of crimes that can have an impact on their future lives. Therefore,
parents should take an active part in preventing youth violence in the lives of their teens. In
order for parents to prevent violence in their teen's life, they need to understand what the causes
are for violent youth behavior.

The causes of youth violence vary. One obvious cause is the media that can influence
teens and cause them to act aggressively. A study done by several universities on the influence of
media influence on youths states that "research on violent television and films, video games, and
music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive
and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts." The 'media' here is defined as
anything a teen sees, hears or interacts with that can be found on the Internet, on television, in

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magazines, at the movies, in video games, in advertising, etc. Our teen's existence is filled with
media that may have aggressive messages.

Where teens live, their neighborhood can cause teens to act more aggressively. The CDC
points to several community risk factors for youth violence including diminished economic
opportunities, high levels of crime and socially disorganized neighbourhoods. Therefore, if you
live in a neighborhood where teens are forced to join gangs to survive and fighting is the norm,
the teen is apt to act aggressively and participate in violent behaviors.

Children who live with violence in the home can become violent people. If the teen is
living with domestic abuse in their home, they are learning how to abuse. As child abuse is seen
as a cycle, children of abuse can become the aggressors. This aggressive behavior often starts in
teens who learned their behavior from their father. It is a sad truth and not easy to fix, but that is
the cycle of abuse.

Teens who received insufficient supervision by their parents or parental figures are prone
to engaging in aggressive behaviors or criminal activity because they make poor choices. When
parents do not take an active role in their teen's life, teens go out of control. They make friends
with the wrong people, they don't strive to do their best in school and they stop caring about their
future. Teenagers need fair and firm discipline - this is one of the reasons why.

Peer pressure can cause youth violence when the teen's friends are prone to aggressive
behaviors. This could be juvenile delinquent behaviors, risk taking behaviors like drinking
alcohol or taking drugs or being part of a social group were being aggressive is part of the norm -
being part of the football team would be an example of that.

Teen drug abuse and addiction can also lead to violent behavior. While recreational drug
use is supposed to make one feel good, prolonged use of illicit drugs often bring feelings of
depression, anger, and frustration. This can lead a teen to exhibit behaviors of aggression and
rage.

Dealing with traumatic events can cause violent behavior in teens. For instance, if the
teen loses a friend in a car accident that they were also involved in they could get angry at the
fact that they were the one that lived. As anger is a normal stage of grief, a violent outburst from
this teen seems almost justified.

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 Mental illness is also another cause of violence among teens. Mental health issues like
ADHD, bipolar, ODD, conduct disorder or many of the others that are being diagnosed today,
all have aggressive behaviors or angry feelings as common symptoms. Mental illness sometimes
hides behind other causes of youth violence. For instance, a teen with bipolar disorder may be
using drugs. If this teen becomes violent, the drug use could hide the fact that the bipolar illness
is part of the cause.

Youth violence is a major cause for concern amongst schools, parents and other teens. No
one wants to be around someone that might lash out in a violent episode after being upset by
something. It is a dangerous situation to be placed in. Legal and social repercussions of youth
violence can affect a teen's education and friendships, which can lead to a less successful adult
life. Teens who are violent and face negative effects of violent behaviors like severely injuring
someone or damaging property can end up serving time in an adolescent detention facility. If the
crime committed by the act of youth violence is serious enough, the teen may face more serious
charges and be tried as an adult. They may serve serious jail time as a consequence of the effects
of youth violent behaviors.

Youth violence is often a public safety issue and often times are considered dangerous to
their community. Unfortunately, family members and friends of the violent teens are the ones
who end up physically injured as a result of the effects of youth violence.

The best way to treat these harmful effects of youth violence is to start solving the problem.
Many teens may need to seek therapy for their issues to help resolve the underlying issues that
caused the violent behavior in the first place. Some teens must be removed from the threatening
situation to help them calm down their violent behaviors. There are many high schools
specifically equipped to handle teens who have been in trouble with the law due to drug and
alcohol abuse as well as youth violence and assault. Many teens are more likely to behave
violently when under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Removing them from the situation where
these substances are readily available and entering them in some sort of rehabilitation facility is
another step to treat the effects of youth violence. 

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 Teen community service programs or support groups are a great way to get teens involved
and to more constructively outlet their frustrations and struggles. It also can get them involved
with mentors who can assist them in dealing with the issues they are facing that may cause the
violent outbreaks in the first place. 

Getting involved in sports or other after school activities can help teens become more social
and can help replace that element in their life that might have been one of the causes of violent
behavior, in order to stop the effects of youth behavior. 

Overall, it is important to remember that a teen's violence does not just impact the teen
themselves but it also unfortunately produces many negative effects of youth violence. Seeking
treatment immediately is important to help stop these effects of youth violence.

Adapted from https://www.verywellfamily.com 

Prepared by :
Dr K. Sarojini
March 2018

Reference

Whitmer, D. (2017, July). Youth violence. Verywell Family.

Summary

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 (250 - 260 words)