Community violence prevention and intervention strategies for children and adolescents: the need for multilevel approaches.

Exposure to community violence pervades the lives of many urban American youths. A growing body of research illustrates when and how exposure to neighborhood violence impacts the psychosocial functioning of youths. However, few empirically supported preventative efforts exist to mitigate these effects. The following briefly outlines the state of current intervention efforts, and then summarizes how articles presented in this special issue address the existing gaps in theory and practice of serving youth exposed to community violence. Programs demonstrate innovative and collaborative primary, secondary, and tertiary preventative efforts to meet the needs of youths. Directions for future research and program development call for expansion of current efforts to provide a public health response to support urban neighborhoods at risk for violence.