Violence in America and Its Effects on Personal and Community Health - Research Paper Example

 Violence in America and Its Effects on Personal and Community Health (within the USA) 1. Introduction In accordance with Edlin et al. (2000) violence can be developed for many reasons. Either as a means for getting revenge, for protecting one’s life or for prohibiting the occurrence of a particular event. It can be also developed with no particular reason, as a result of a person’s psychological disorder (Edlin et al. 2000). In practice, confronting violence can be a challenging task for legislators worldwide. In USA the limitation of violence has been proved unachievable mostly because of the co-existence of many factors that favor violence, as for example the participation of the country in wars worldwide or the provisions for allowing carrying of weapons through a rather quick process. Current paper focuses on the effects of violence on personal and community health in USA. It has been made clear that the country faces severe problems in controlling violence and this weakness is combined with the lack of effective provisions in the delivering of health services across the country, as resulting from the continuous reduction of investments on the healthcare sector. 2. Violence in America – presentation and analysis Violence in USA, as also in other countries, has many different forms. It can be developed either within the family or outside, i.e. in the context of the broad social environment of each individual. A series of potential forms of violence in USA is presented in the study of Edlin et al. (2000). In accordance with this study, the most common forms of violence in USA are the following ones: ‘domestic violence, rape, physical abuse, homicide, suicide, terrorist attacks, gang fights and wars’ (Edlin et al. 2000, p.304). The rate of increase of violence in USA is rather disappointing and leads to concerns regarding the effectiveness of the mechanisms monitoring the enforcement of federal and state law: through the research developed by Edlin it has been proved that every year approximately ‘20,000 persons die because of homicide’ (Edlin et al. 2000, p.304); on the other hand, it has been noted that approximately ‘20,000 persons suffer domestic violence on annual basis’ (Edlin et al. 2000, p.304). In accordance with the figures provided above, violence within the family is a common phenomenon in USA. It is, therefore, this form of violence that most affects the health of individuals and of communities. The effects of violence on personal and community health, as presented above, are difficult to be precisely identified. Reference can be made to their common consequences, either in the short or the long term. 3. Effects of violence on Personal and Community Health in America The potentials effects of violence on health are many. In the context of USA, these effects are aligned with the social, political and economic conditions. This means that the issue of violence and the strategies used for its limitation may not be appropriately addressed under the influence of the global financial crisis, which has highly affected the U.S. economy. In a report published by the Institute of Medicine (1997) reference is made to the efforts that have started since 1995 for the decrease of the costs related to health aiming to support the national economy. Today, this effort, which is still in progress, causes severe problems to the quality of health across the country especially because of the radical increase of all forms of violence, as reflected in the figures of reports presented below. At this point, it should be noted that violence can adversely affect both personal and community health. The interaction of these forms of health of violence is analyzed in the sections that follow. It is made clear that legislators in USA have to face the following controversy: violence is being continuously increased while the quality of health services has been deteriorated, mostly as a result of the continuous reduction of funds spent on the particular sector. The current status of health in USA, as presented below, proves that the increase of violence is not the only factor that threatens the personal and community health in the particular country. It seems that other factors also exist that negatively affects the delivery of health services in the specific country. 3.1 Violence and Personal Health Violence can harm health in various ways. For example, when a person faces a series of violent events without being able to escape, then the post-traumatic stress disorder is expected to follow (Institute of Medicine, 1997). An example of this case is the War of Vietnam; many veterans who survived in the war still face severe psychological problems, along with the physical damages they have suffered during the particular event (Institute of Medicine, 1997). The cases of veterans returning from other wars, such as the Gulf war indicate the same fact: the long-term exposure to violence even if a person does not participate actively, can lead to severe psychological disorders, which may also result to physical health problems if they are not addressed appropriately from the first instance. On the other hand, the exposure to violence can negatively affect in the following way: persons that have faced violence, either as viewers or as victims, they are quite like to develop a criminal behavior in the future, usually without specific reason. This phenomenon is quite common in USA in the cases of veterans or people who suffered domestic violence for a long time (Institute of Medicine, 1997). The involvement of these persons in criminal activities has a direct effect on their health, for instance, if the victim of violence kills someone, then he is likely to be sentenced to a death penalty. On the other hand, living in violence can have another result: it is possible for the victim to develop a violent behavior; even if in the past violence was not part of his behavior (Institute of Medicine, 1997). In other words, violence can affect the personal health both directly and indirectly, in the ways described above. Another effect of violence, as developed in USA today, is the date rape. This is a phenomenon continuously expanded across USA. Minnesota is the state that mostly faces the particular problem. In accordance with the research developed in regard to this subject, a percentage of 25% of female students in Minnesota have been raped during their dates; it has been proved that the perpetrator usually commits the crime by using a particular type of drug. The authorities of the state have tried to control the problem but the phenomenon seems to be expanded rapidly. The specific phenomenon reflects the potential effects of violence on personal health; indeed, in the context of the research developed by Floyd et al. (2007), at a high percentage, the perpetrators of these crimes have faced violence in family. In this way, they tend to consider violence as part of their daily life (Floyd et al. 2007). These persons are likely to develop violent behavior either within their families or towards third persons. Boylan (2004) notes that interpersonal violence is a significant problem in USA. He notes that the efforts made for the confrontation of the problem are limited, compared to the actual effects of violence on each person but also on the society (Boylan 2004). In the terms of personal health, violence can have various implications. Apart from the most common problem resulted from violence, i.e. the post traumatic stress disorder, other effects of violence can appear quite late. Moreover, it is noted that these effects can be increased if the victim is not offered the necessary support on time. Reference is made for instance to the victims of violence who seek for assistance in the relevant authorities (Boylan 2004). The lack of assistance at this phase is likely to lead the person to develop a violent behavior either within his family or against third persons, an issue also highlighted above. A similar result could exist when the victim of violence is not offered the appropriate health care (Boylan 2004); this is a common phenomenon in USA where the volume of work in hospitals can be significant and emergent events may not treated appropriately, not because of the lack of interest of the employees but due to the lack of staff, which is difficult to be adequate when the cases handled are quite high. Of particular importance seems to be the role of violence in the health problems of adolescents, who are less capable of managing the effects of violent events. Indeed, as the research developed by Flannery showed, mental health problems are likely to be increased among adolescents who are exposed to violence compared to adolescents that have not experienced violent events. Moreover, violence seems to be a more critical factor for mental health problems among adolescents compared to other factors, such as the place of living, the age, the economic status or the gender (Flannery 2006, p.146). In the above context, violence can affect the person both directly and indirectly; by not having the appropriate treatment after a violent event a person may develop a permanent problem of health; on the other hand, he may decide to develop a violent behavior in order to respond to the attack he suffered. In other words, as also proved in the studies presented earlier, the violence can have different effects on personal health, depending on the conditions in which the person lives, i.e. his family environment and the environment where most of his activities are developed, usually the social or professional environment. 3.2 Effects of Violence on Community Health In the context of the community, the effects of violence can be also significant. Of particular importance are the effects of violence on community health, as reflected in the delivery of community health services. In fact, the effects of violence seem to be different on community health compared to its effects on personal health. When referring to a person, the damage caused on health because of violence can strongly affect his life; they can be also a cause for the loss of the life. However, when referring to the effects of violence on the community, emphasis should be given on the following fact: how community faces violence? Are community health services appropriate prepared in order to face the violence? The answer seems to be positive, at least for communities in USA. In the case of the community health, violent results to the follow problems: the incidents of domestic violence are likely to be increased in community health care settings; the staff is usually appropriately trained in order to face such events. Moreover, because family violence in USA is a common phenomenon, as also explained earlier, nurses and medical practitioners in community health care institutions are able to understand the victims of physical attacks (Lundy et al. 2009). However, because of the lack of staff, a problem also highlighted earlier, the health care provided to the victims of family violence, often, is not appropriate. On the other hand, because of the high number of such incidents in USA, the quality of the health care services provided in the context of the community health care centers is likely to be deteriorated. In other words, the increase of volume of work in community health care settings, because of family violence, adversely affects the health of other people, those who seek for assistance for a health problem, which is irrelevant to violence (Lundy et al. 2009). The failure of the relevant authorities to assist victims in the cases of violent attacks is reflected in Graph 1 below, where the trends of homicide in USA are presented. The graph shows just the trends in the relationship between the offender and the victim and not the level of homicide. Graph 1 – trends of homicides in USA in terms of the relationship between the victim and the offender (Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011) The development of violence threatens the community safety. The term ‘community safety’ incorporates a wide range of issues, meaning that the role of violence within communities have many different aspects. In accordance with a report published in Country Health Rankings (2001), violence in community can negative affect many sectors, including ‘birth weight, diet and exercise, and family and social support’ (Country Health Rankings 2011). It is also noted that the incidents of homicide in USA have increased so much that homicide is now considered as the second cause of death in the particular country (Country Health Rankings 2011). The importance of the expansion of violence in USA can be made clear through the following graph. The percentage of homicide in USA is compared with that of other countries worldwide. Graph 2 – Homicide in USA and in other countries worldwide, 1990 (Source: Net Wellness, Consumer Health Information) At the next level, the continuation and the expansion of this phenomenon, leads to another problem: expenses in community health care settings are significantly increased; the relevant amount may be extremely high so that people in local community cannot afford to cover it, meaning the income of the community through the taxes paid by the locals. In accordance with Allen (2009) in 2007 ‘the health care spending in USA reached the $2.3 trillion dollars which is divided as 86,697 per person’ (Allen 2009, p.28), an extremely high sum which proves the radical increase of health – related incidents across the country, as these incidents affect not only the personal and community health but also the social and economic life of the country. Another form of interaction between violence and the community health can be the following one: through the increase of gangs across USA, the life of adolescents has been negatively affected. Through the activities of these groups of persons, children and adolescents are getting familiar with violence, thinking of it even as part of the daily life, a problem resulted also by the media. From this point of view, by monitoring violent scenes on a daily basis, adolescents are expected to develop violent behavior (Flannery 2006). On the other hand, adults seem to be also negatively affected by the expansion of crimes, even more than the adolescents; this fact is made clear in Graph 3, below, where the rate of the increase of adult correctional population is presented. Graph 3- Rate of increase of adult correctional population, 2009 (Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Correctional Surveys) This problem can be more severe in communities where violence is a common element of daily life, for instance in areas where groups of gangs highly activate; under these terms, the psychology of adolescents can suffer damages that are not reversible. In accordance with a report published by the Center for Community Health Partnerships in 2009, the violence in media can significantly contribute in the increase of health and behavioral problems in children, including aggression (Center for Community Health Partnerships 2009). Moreover, in the empirical research it has been proved that witnessing community violence can result to ‘long term behavioral problems in youth’ (Guite et al. 2006, p.1117). The issue was explored through a study developed in San Francisco; the adolescents who participated in the study and who were exposed to violent events ‘showed higher rates of self-reported PTSD symptoms’ (Guite et al. 2006, p.1117). Violence in community can be expanded across the community members quickly, especially if the intervention of local authorities for controlling violence is limited (Flannery 2006). In the study of Carter (2002) reference is made to another form of violence in the context of the community; it is the violence used by the police for confronting criminals (Carter 2002). Even if this form of violence can be characterized as justified, aiming to control the criminal activity within the community, still it can cause severe psychological problems to adolescents who are more likely to respond negatively if they are exposed to violence, even as viewers, for a long period of time. On the other hand, violence within the community is mostly expected to affect the community health in the following way: through the attacks attempted daily in houses and professional areas, severe problems of health, as also deaths are likely to result for the victims (Carter 2002). In this context, it could be noted that people in USA are likely to face the effects of violence not only from outside, i.e. the violence in the context of the community, but also from inside, referring to family violence and physical attacks. 4. Conclusion The development of violence in USA can be considered as one of the country’s most important problems. The failure of the existing legislation to confront the specific problem cannot be doubted. This fact is reflected in the expansion of the effects of violence in many aspects of life. In health, the effects of violence can have various forms, as already explained above. Moreover, differences seem to exist regarding the interaction among the violence, the personal health and the community health. The potential of violence to affect both personal and community health should cause severe concerns to legislators and authorities in USA. In any case, it has been proved that the effects of violence on personal health can be more severe than its effects on community health, a fact that indicates the need for additional support to individuals that live in violence or those who have suffered violence for a particular period of time. The interaction between violence and health, as also that between violence and human behavior, cannot be eliminated. However, it could be controlled using existing resources more appropriately taking into consideration the local economic and social conditions, which are worsening continuously. References Allen, P. (2009). Violence in the Emergency Department: Tools and Strategies to Create a Violence-Free ED. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Boylan, M. (2004). Public health policy and ethics. New York: Springer. Bureau of Justice Statistics Correctional Surveys (2009) Adult correctional population. Retrieved in November 15, 2011, from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/glance/corr2.cfm Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2011) Homicide Trends. Retrieved in November 15, 2011, from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/family.cfm Carter, G. (2002) Guns in American Society: A – L. New York: ABC-CLIO. Center for Community Health Partnerships (2009) The Dangers of Violence in Modern Mass Media. Retrieved in 15 November 2011, from http://www.columbiacchp.org/ Country Health Rankings (2011) Community Safety. Retrieved in November 15, 2011, from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/health-factors/community-safety Edlin, G., Golanty, E., and Brown, K. (200). Essentials for Health and Wellness Personal Health and Fitness Series. Pine Drive: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Guite HF, Clark C, Ackrill G.( 2006). The impact of the physical and urban environment on mental well-being. Public Health 120:1117-1126. Flannery, D. (2006). Violence and mental health in everyday life: prevention and intervention strategies for children and adolescents. Rowman Altamira. Floyd, P., Mimms, S., and Yelding, C. (2007). Personal Health: Perspectives and Lifestyles. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Institute of Medicine (U.S.) (1997) America's vital interest in global health: protecting our people, enhancing our economy, and advancing our international interests. Washington: National Academies Press Lundy, K., and Janes, S. (2009). Community health nursing: caring for the public's health. Pine Drive: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Net Wellness, Consumer Health Information (2009) Violence in the United States. Retrieved in November 15, 2011, from http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/domesticv/violenceUS.cfm Read More