Youth Violence

A valuable source of information for psychologists, this book thoroughly and carefully reviews the evidence for risk of, and protective factors that influence, the likelihood of young people acting aggressively. It looks at the problem from a multitude of perspectives, including developmental psychology, and the influences of race, class, and gender. This account also explores effective interventions in the contexts of young people’s lives—in their homes, neighborhoods, and schools as well as in their participation in leisure activities, gangs, and the media. Suggestions are made for keeping an evidence-based perspective and interventions from other contexts are adapted for developing world contexts such as South Africa.

Catherine L. Ward is a senior lecturer in the department of psychology at the University of Cape Town and the chair of the university's Safety and Violence Initiative. Amelia van der Merwe is a research psychologist at the Child, Youth, Family, and Social Development research program of the Human Sciences Research Council. Andrew Dawes is an associate professor emeritus in the department of psychology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and an associate fellow in the department of social policy and intervention at the University of Oxford, South Africa. He is a coeditor with Amelia van der Merwe of Monitoring Child Well-Being: A South African Rights-based Approach.