Violence: Risk Factors

One aspect of violence prevention research concerns identifying risk factors that can predict the onset, continuation, or escalation of violence. Once these predictors are identified, intervention programs that aim to reduce the occurrence of these factors can be designed and targeted to vulnerable individuals who present these risk factors. Typically, research focuses on examining risk factors associated with different subtypes of violence, such as youth violence, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence. However, these different categories of violence are predicted by many of the same risk factors. In addition, through differing mechanisms, becoming a victim or a perpetrator of violence shares common risk factors.

Risk factors may come into play at certain developmental stages during childhood and adolescence, or emerge only in adulthood. Some become less ...