A culturally sensitive approach to the prevention of interpersonal violence among urban black youth.

Black-on-black interpersonal violence is a major problem for black youth living in poor urban areas. Diverse lines of research converge to suggest that interpersonal violence among inner-city black youth may result from a combination of environmental stressors, racial identity problems, and health and mental health problems. A culturally sensitive approach to the prevention of interpersonal violence among black youth is described. It is concluded that insensitivity to the significant role of racial or cultural factors in black-on-black violence contributes to the relative inattention to the problem.