Children in a Violent Society

Today's children are bombarded with images of violence in cartoons, news reports, television shows, computer games, movies, and other media. In growing numbers, they are also exposed to real-life violence in their own homes and communities--as witnesses, victims, and, increasingly, perpetrators. Too often, children learn that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict. Yet even as the problem escalates, our society spends little effort finding viable solutions beyond incarceration-an after-the-problem approach. Emphasizing the need for early intervention and prevention, this timely book examines the impact of violence exposure on children and youth, discusses several existing programs, and proposes new approaches to the problem.

Journal of the American Medical Association

Children in a Violent Society will serve public health and public safety officials charged with reducing the levels and impacts of violence. Sadly, the overwhelming number of children affected also makes the book a must-read for developmental pediatricians and child mental health workers caring for urban children in the United States.

Joy D. Osofsky, PhD, a psychologist and psychoanalyst, is Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in New Orleans. She is President of Zero to Three/National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families; past president of the World Association for Infant Mental Health; and Director of the Violence Intervention Program for Children and Families and the LSUHSC Harris Center for Infant Mental Health. Following Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Osofsky was asked to serve as Clinical Director of Child and Adolescent Initiatives for Louisiana Spirit for the Louisiana State Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Mental Health. She is editor or coeditor of Young Children and Trauma, Children in a Violent Society, Handbook of Infant Development, and WAIMH Handbook of Infant Mental Health; and editor of the Infant Mental Health Journal. Dr. Osofsky's research, intervention, and clinical work with infants, children, and families at high psychosocial risk have been recognized with honors and awards from Division 37 of the American Psychological Association, the Juvenile Court Judges of the 11th Judicial Circuit, and the New Orleans City Council, among others.