Community Violence, PTSD, Hopelessness, Substance Use, and Perpetuation of Violence in an Urban Environment

Restorative Justice, Desistance and Trauma-Informed Practice in the Youth Justice System

“…More recent research in this field also indicates an interlink between traumatic experiences and criminal behaviour (Moore 2022), revealing that offenders present a higher prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (Ardino 2012;Winningham & Ors 2019;Lefebvre & Ors 2021). It also suggests that criminal conduct could be both more widespread and more extensive among mentally ill individuals (Raman & Ors 2021). This chimes with a considerable body of literature which has documented the relationship between trauma and child abuse and subsequent aggressive and criminal acts (Cocozza & Skowyra 2007).…”

The role of physical activity in the relationship between exposure to community violence and mental health: A systematic review

“…This systematic review identified five studies that examined physical activity in connection with exposure to community violence and mental health. The number of studies examining this topic was relatively low considering the prevalence of community violence worldwide ( Krug et al, 2002 , UNODC, 2014 ), the deleterious effects of community violence on people’s mental health ( Finkelhor et al, 2013 , Lee et al, 2020 , Raman et al, 2021 , Zinzow et al, 2009a , Zinzow et al, 2009b ), and the important mental health benefits of physical activity ( Biddle et al, 2019 , Mahindru et al, 2023 , Rodríguez-Romo et al, 2022 ). In addition to the paucity of evidence on this topic, we found the limited existing studies also defined and measured community violence, mental health, and physical activity in different ways.…”

“…The victims of community violence are disproportionally people from lower-income, ethnic minority, and socially disadvantaged communities ( Antunes and Ahlin, 2015 , Zimmerman and Messner, 2013 ), with children and adolescents particularly affected ( Bancalari et al, 2022 , Finkelhor et al, 2013 , Guterman et al, 2010 , Jain and Cohen, 2013 ). Community violence is associated with mental health disorders, which are significant contributors to the global burden of disease ( Collaborators, 2022 ), among children, adolescents, and adults ( Finkelhor et al, 2013 , Lee et al, 2020 , Raman et al, 2021 , Zinzow et al, 2009a , Zinzow et al, 2009b ). Living in a more socially disadvantaged community increases the likelihood of mental health disorders even in the absence of community violence ( Bowen et al, 2022 ).…”

Full issue

“…More recent research in this field also indicates an interlink between traumatic experiences and criminal behaviour (Moore 2022), revealing that offenders present a higher prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (Ardino 2012; Winningham & Ors 2019;Lefebvre & Ors 2021). It also suggests that criminal conduct could be both more widespread and more extensive among mentally ill individuals (Raman & Ors 2021). This chimes with a considerable body of literature which has documented the relationship between trauma and child abuse and subsequent aggressive and criminal acts (Cocozza & Skowyra 2007).…”