Prevention of violence. Role of the pediatrician.

The pervasiveness of delinquency and violence in our society and the impact on morbidity and mortality have made violence a major public health issue. There is a general continuity of antisocial behavior from early childhood to adolescence and adulthood. Important risk factors for delinquency and violence are poor parenting, untreated conduct disorder, social stress, poverty, and school failure. Pediatricians can play a major role in violence prevention through recognition of and intervention for poor parenting, provision of social support to families, recognition and management of behavior problems, and promotion of preschool and early childhood education programs. Such interventions are likely to have a far greater impact on delinquency and violence than secondary and tertiary prevention programs such as those of the criminal justice system.