It is believed that repeated exposure to real‐life and to entertainment violence may alter cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes, possibly leading to desensitization. The goal of the present study was to determine if there are relationships between real‐life and media violence exposure and desensitization as reflected in related characteristics. One hundred fifty fourth and fifth graders completed measures of real‐life violence exposure, media violence exposure, empathy, and attitudes towards violence. Regression analyses indicated that only exposure to video game violence was associated with (lower) empathy. Both video game and movie violence exposure were associated with stronger proviolence attitudes. The active nature of playing video games, intense engagement, and the tendency to be translated into fantasy play may explain negative impact, though causality was not investigated in the present design. The samples’ relatively low exposure to real‐life violence may have limited the identification of relationships. Although difficult to quantify, desensitization to violence should be further studied using related characteristics as in the present study. Individual differences and causal relationships should also be examined.

This research suggests that bingeing behaviors have pervasive and important implications for health-related quality of life for obese adolescents.

The importance of early intervention for preventing the development of violent behavior is well recognized. There is particular interest in addressing mediating factors through which risk may be transformed into behavior—for example, attitudes. The Attitudes Toward Violence Scale: Child Version (ATVC) was designed to measure the impact of interventions targeting change in attitudes towards violence in elementary school children. The ATVC demonstrates good internal reliability and has a meaningful two-factor solution: Reactive Violence (violence in response to a perceived or actual threat) and Culture of Violence (a pervasive view that violence is an acceptable and valued behavioral choice). A negative correlation between the ATVC and a child empathy measure provides support for the validity of the ATVC. Being male, self-identification as a victim, and African American ethnicity each predicted endorsement of proviolence attitudes. The ATVC may be useful in targeting interventions based on preexisting attitudinal dispositions and in measuring intervention outcome.

Our objective was to measure parents' level of satisfaction and perceived benefits gained from participating in a parent support group as part of an outpatient treatment program. We mailed surveys to 261 parent/guardian participants. Results reflected high satisfaction with the support group. Parents indicated that it assisted them in understanding eating disorders symptoms and treatment and supporting their child struggling with an eating disorder. Additionally, the group was a source of emotional support. Results suggest that inclusion of a parent support group in the outpatient treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders has important implications for parents.

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