The American Psychological Association (APA), the largest membership organization of psychologists in the world with over 159,000 members and affiliates, is concerned with the increased prevalence of violence in today's society and among our nation's youth.

The APA has a long history of research in the areas of child and adolescent development, aggression and violence, and risk factors associated with childhood mental health and emotional problems. APA members have authored many of the major studies on youth violence prevention in the last decade.

Studies investigating the effectiveness of prevention programs show that prevention efforts are the most successful when they are based on basic research identifying factors that contribute to the cause and course of the problem. Longitudinal research has identified the key factors involved in the early development and escalation of aggressive, defiant, and antisocial behavior problems in children. These factors include child, family, school, peer group, and community elements. Fortunately, research also demonstrates that early, sustained prevention efforts are successful: children who have participated in prevention programs display fewer aggressive behaviors, form more friendships, improve social and emotional skills, and develop more positive relationships with their parents.

To address the issues of youth violence in our society, APA has undertaken several special projects including the APA Commission on Violence and Youth, which produced Violence and Youth: Psychology's Response and Reason to Hope: A psychosocial perspective on violence. Additionally, the APA Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family produced the report, Violence and the Family.

Most recently, in an effort to help youth proactively address the problem of violence, APA and MTV collaborated in developing a project to assist youth in identifying the warning signs of violent behavior and in seeking help if they recognize these signs in themselves or their peers. "Warning Signs" is the first major piece of programming in MTV's 1999 pro-social campaign - "Fight for Your Rights: Take a Stand Against Violence."

APA and MTV have also co-produced a "Warning Signs" guide that will further help young people recognize when a classmate or friend might be a potential danger to themselves or others. The guide can be obtained free of charge by contacting APA at (800) 268-0078 or at our web site http://helping.apa.org.

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