Youth Violence and the Urban Response
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Childhood and Youth Studies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 50
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Youth violence is a global public health epidemic and is estimated to affect 193,000 young people on a yearly basis. Alarmingly, violence (firearm homicide) is the leading cause of mortality among youth, especially in the United States. While violence has decreased among some demographic groups, it has escalated among certain subpopulations, particularly in disinvested communities. Violence against/among non-Hispanic Black youth remains a public health concern, with research suggesting that between 45% and 96% of urban youth have witnessed violence in their communities, ranging from assault to murder. Furthermore, 16% to 37% of youth have reported being victims of violence.
Depending on the degree and length of exposure to violence, youth violence can have a harmful effect on young people’s health, resulting in physical harm and serious mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, complex trauma, and an elevated risk of suicide. It can also cause chronic health issues such as cardiovascular disease and disturbed sleep patterns.
Against this background, this Special Issue of the journal of Social Sciences welcomes submissions that critically examine the urban response to youth violence with a focus on the significance and widespread impact of violence among the global population, in addition to social policies, the cycle of violence, the social and structural determinants of youth violence, and evidence-based solutions.
Prof. Dr. Lorece Edwards
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- youth violence
- urban response
- public health
- mental health
- social determinants
- structural inequality
- evidence-based solutions
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