Pediatric Gun Violence and Hospital-Based Violence Intervention ProgramsPediatric Gun Violence and Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs

Gun violence is a crisis affecting many parts of the world, particularly the United States. American children and adolescents suffer the highest burden of gun violence compared to youths of other countries, with adolescent African American males being the most heavily affected. Various demographic, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental factors have been found to significantly increase children’s risk of becoming victims of gun violence. Likewise, several factors, both psychosocial and legislative, have been shown to protect children from such violence. In order to combat the crisis of gun violence facing American youths, various hospital-based violence intervention programs have been implemented. Such programs identify high-risk pediatric patients in healthcare settings and enroll these individuals in therapeutic community-based case management services with the goal of enhancing protective factors while addressing factors which predispose to recurrent gun violence. These programs promise both a remedy for violence, as well an ongoing opportunity for further development and improvement.