If we are what we eat, then we might expect children who eat a lot of candy to be sweet and lovable. Quite the opposite, according to recent research. Authors of a study published in a recent issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry claim that children who eat a lot of confectionery treats are more likely to be violent adults.

The British researchers followed more than 17,000 British children born in 1970 for almost 4 decades. More than two-thirds (69%) of the children arrested for violent behavior by age 34 ate candy daily at age 10. Read more →

Countless studies have focused on the subject of bullying, and the latest even suggest an interesting paradox: is bullying caused by a lack of empathy for others or, surprisingly, by too much empathy? Because, although all of us react in some way to seeing others in pain, we don’t all react in the same way. Scientists are asking, could an empathic response to others in pain cause enough emotional distress in some adolescents to actually cause them to respond aggressively? Here lie the two big hypotheses and they’re rather contradictory. Read more →

I’ve been looking into violent deaths lately. And now I understand a few things.  Mostly, I understand what we don’t know about violent death in the United States. For instance, consider one of the most horrific kinds of violent death — mass shootings in public places like malls and offices and schools.

How often does this happen somewhere in the United States?

Nobody knows. Read more →

Consider three perspectives on domestic violence (DV), or any pattern of violence and crime occurring in a population. One is a basic statistical view. This view answers questions such as, “What percentage of the population experiences DV?” This view can be more refined. It can slice and dice statistics by looking at subgroups like homosexual relationships or people in a given socioeconomic class. It can look at diagnostic categories such as antisocial personality disorder or post traumatic stress disorder. This helps clinicians become sensitized to issues, and have a better idea what questions to ask in developing a plan. It informs social policy experts and program developers. Read more →

Executive function has big implications for the design of domestic violence programs. It is important to know the subtypes of batterers because different subtypes have different needs for treatment, and different levels of intervention that are necessary to ensure safety. I’ll refer to some very recent studies that address domestic violence and executive function problems. Read more →

A new study presented by the World Health Organization points to the international community’s efforts to curb interpersonal violence and its mental and physical consequences. This past week nearly 200 experts on violence prevention assembled in Scotland for “Milestones 2007,” a gathering intended to critically examine advances made since the WHO release of the “World Report on Violence and Health,” in 2002. At the time of its original publication, a portion of this landmark report highlighted the psychological impact of interpersonal violence, supporting emerging research on the long-term, medically-related consequences of violence. This on-going study acts to solidify the link between violent behavior and consequently, mental distress. Read more →