Short/Long Term Effects
Effects of Gun Violence on Children: A Public Health Crisis
Yousaf Malik, MS; Jaspir Bonner, MS; Jill Patel, BS
University of Southern California
Mental Health
Conclusion
Introduction
Global Comparison
Immediately following a deadly school shooting, enrollment and test scores decrease. Lower test scores tarnish not only a student’s academic record, but also the school’s prestige, which together can negatively impact college acceptances, employment positions, and earnings later in life.
Nearly 1,300 children die due to gun violence every year in the US, resulting in an overall negative outcome and diminished quality of life. This violates three key Sustainable Development Goals that all children are entitled to. Experiencing such atrocities interferes with their developmental and social growth, resulting in increased risky behaviors and mental health illnesses.
More than 208,000 students have experienced gun violence since Columbine.
US ranks #1 in firearm ownership and deaths among developed nations.
Survivors have less cerebral activity when engaging in reckless behaviors but increased emotional responses to unanticipated outcomes. This leads to impulsivity, temperamental responses, and unhealthy practices.
In many cases, the physical ailments often take precedence over the mental. During developmental stages, it is common for children to have difficulty adequately conveying their feelings. After encounters with violent situations, many children suffer from anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Adolescents showing these signs are more likely to turn to gun violence and have thought of ways to access a gun, thus creating a cyclic process.
Parents are the first safeguard regarding the mental status of a child. It is imperative that the guardians of children take an active role in their child’s life. Topics that were once deemed taboo are important to discuss in order to ensure adolescents have a safe space to express their feelings.
Gun violence is on the rise and requires immediate action. The short- and long-term effects that children experience cannot be overlooked. It has become quite evident that traumatic events effect not only the physical but mental state of being. Based on the success in the Britain and Germany, modeling the United States legislation to emulate similar principles can protect future children from experiencing such atrocities. The goal is to approach gun violence from a triad of public health, community involvement, and policy reformation.
The United States is responsible for 7 of the 18 deadliest mass shootings recorded around the globe.
Germany and Britain illustrate two different approaches that can be implemented in the U.S. In Britain, only law enforcement and select individuals are allowed to bear arms. Additionally, prospective gun owners must undergo a psychological well being exam before purchasing a gun. In Germany, the government created a federal gun registry and enacted safe storage laws. Random checks are performed to ensure licensed gun owners are following protocol. Individuals must also undergo psychiatric evaluations if under the age of 25.
References
Beland, Louis-Philippe, and Dongwoo Kim. “The Effect of High School Shootings on Schools and Student Performance.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, vol. 38, no. 1, 2016, pp. 113–126.
Birn, Rasmus M., et al. “Early Childhood Stress Exposure, Reward Pathways, and Adult Decision Making.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 114, no. 51, 2017, pp. 13549–13554.
Cameron, Darla and Granados, Samuel. “Mass Shootings: How U.S. Gun culture compares with the rest of the world.” The Washington Post, February 2018.
Collins, Julie and Swoveland, Emily. “The Impact of Gun Violence on Children, Families, & Communities.” CWLA, vol 23, no 1
Howard, Jacqueline. “Guns kill nearly 1,300 US children each year, study says.” CNN, June 2017.
Levine, Phillip B., and Robin McKnight. “Firearms and Accidental Deaths: Evidence from the Aftermath of the Sandy Hook School Shooting.” Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 8 Dec. 2017, science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6368/1324.
Masters, Jonathan. “U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons.” Council on Foreign Relations, Nov 2017.
Shultz, James M, et al. “Fatal School Shootings and the Epidemiological Context of Firearm Mortality in the United States.” Disaster Health, vol. 1, no. 2, 2013, pp. 84–101.
“Youth most at risk for violence, mental health issues have increased access to guns.” American Academy of pediatrics News, May 2017.
printed by www.research-posters.com
www.postersession.com