Violence Breeds Violence

This blog will be dealing with the issue of community violence, and the effects of this on mental health.

Just last week a 6 year old girl was shot in the head while playing in the garden outside her home – the result of gang shootings. Newspaper headlines have told of community members in the local informal settlement taking it upon themselves to punish people suspected of various crimes. These punishments take the form of a public ‘necklacing’ - a tyre is placed around the suspected perpetrators neck, and then set alight. In the two most recent incidents of this happening, the community members, including children, watched two men burn to death.

If events like these are your normal, day-to-day experience, the effect on mental health can be as lethal as the effects of toxic chemicals on physical health (Wandersman & Nation, 1995).

It has been found that women who observe community violence, even if they are not personally involved in it, are twice as likely to suffer from depression and anxiety (Clark, Kawachi, Canner, Berkman & Wright, 2008).

Additionally, while some children who witness and experience community violence may seem unaffected, many are likely to experience psychological problems. Some may become withdrawn, anxious and fearful, while others may deal with their stress and fear through aggressive behaviour that makes them feel powerful and in control.

It is also important to note that children who have suffered a trauma have fewer resources available to them in terms of dealing with usual, age appropriate developmental challenges, such as making friends and managing school work. This is because so much of their energy is focussed on keeping the traumatic memory at bay. They may have difficulty concentrating on their present, because they are so concerned about the negative memories associated with what they have witnessed or been involved with in the past (NYU Child Study Centre).

Additionally, studies on the intergenerational cycle of violence have shown that children who are a traumatized, are more likely to commit crimes when they grow older (NYU Child Study Centre).

These findings are particularly worrying for a country where such a large proportion of the population live in either informal settlements or areas governed by gangs; communities where violence is rife.

The effects of community violence are far reaching, may follow individuals into their adult lives, and may, indeed shape the way a person is able to function in their day-to-day life. Violence breeds violence. The cycle needs to be stopped.