239: Childhood Trauma, Gun Violence, and the Fight for Safe Spaces
What if we told you that the key to preventing gun violence in youth lies not just in legislation, but also in acknowledging and addressing the root causes of trauma? Kelly and JJ sit down with Dr. Sonali Rajan , President of the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms (and also, as you'll learn, about a million other things!). Our conversation orbits around the interconnection between a child's environment, school health, and gun violence, with Dr. Rajan casting light on the findings from the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and the associated risk factors of gun carriage. Dr. Rajan unpacks how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have a profound impact on a child's development, and how we — even if you're childfree, and don't work with children — can be helping kids still reach positive outcomes.
Further reading:
Youth exposure to violence involving a gun: evidence for adverse childhood experience classification (Journal of Behavior Medicine)
Fast Facts: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (CDC)
Shots that Echo for a Lifetime (Teacher's College Columbia University)
Surviving a school shooting: Impacts on the mental health, education, and earnings of American youth (SIEPR)
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