Social and Structural Determinants of Health and Youth Violence: Shifting the Paradigm of Youth Violence Prevention

摘要

Violence against non-Hispanic Black youths continues to be a significant public health issue for many communities in the United States. For more than two decades, homicide has been the leading cause of death among nonHispanic Black youths aged 10 to 24 years (http://bit.ly/2N3lXko). Also, the burden of exposure to community violence is disproportionately carried by people of color and people living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.1 Public health and allied disciplines have played a key role in raising awareness about the system of individual, interpersonal, and social factors that contribute to the development of youth violence and have conducted several decades of research seeking to understand youth violence and develop youth violence–prevention strategies. These efforts have resulted in an array of evidence-based interventions designed to promote a variety of positive outcomes, including promoting positive relationships, developing problem solving, and diffusing interpersonal conflict. However, these interventions have focused heavily on the individual and interpersonal factors while failing to address broader social and structural factors associated with violence.