C. A. SHAVERS
Likewise, HCP’s should be aware of the fact that exposures
to various forms of violence and trauma occur among children
and youth from all socioeconomic, ethnic, religious and cultural
backgrounds (Shavers, 2009). Furthermore, HCP’s should
know and understand the ethnic and cultural attitudes, feelings,
values, beliefs, and behaviors in response to reported exposures
to various forms of violence and trauma among children and
youth in the communities that they serve or provide health care
in order to be effective in meeting the needs of their patients or
clients and in an effort to be culturally sensitive. Equally,
HCP’s should be cognizant of the fact that exposures to vio-
lence or acts related to violence and trauma among children and
youth are common health care problems and concerns. In addi-
tion, HCP’s should recognize that exposures to violence and
trauma among children and youth may pose as risk factors for
psycho-social-emotional, mental, and physical health care prob-
lems.
Further, HCP’s are in a key position to screen, recognize, and
assess for exposures to violence and trauma among children,
youth, and their families. Also, HCP’s need to provide and have
readily available a variety of resources including community-
based, as well as, evidence-based resources that will promote a
sense of health, safety and security, support, and advocacy for
children and youth who disclose or are at-risk for exposures to
violence and trauma. In the same way, HCP’s need to know the
local or governmental existing laws and procedures for report-
ing to respective authorities’ children and youth who self-report
or are at-risk for exposure to violence and trauma to ensure
their safety. Finally, HCP’s should work towards empowering
children and youth to effectively address the issues of violence
and trauma in their young lives.
So in summary, forlornly, exposures to various forms of vio-
lence and trauma among today’s children and youth have been
noted to be a serious threat to their psycho-social-emotional,
mental, and overall physical health and wellbeing. Similarly,
exposures to various forms of violence and trauma among to-
day’s children and youth cross all socioeconomic statuses, reli-
gious, ethnic-cultural, and geographical milieu (Shavers, 2009).
Hence, HCP’s should be cognizant of the fact that voluntarily
or non-voluntarily self-reports of exposures to various forms of
violence and trauma among children and youth are inevitable.
Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that HCP’s routinely
screen, early identify, assess, and appropriately treat those chil-
dren and youth who self-report exposures to violence and
trauma in an effort to possibly circumvent or alleviate the pre-
viously noted adverse psycho-social-emotional, mental health
and physical consequences.
Thus, in conclusion, it is of essence that HCP’s should be
cognizant of the actual, probable or potential detrimental im-
pact of exposures to various forms of violence and trauma
among children and youth in our global society. Moreover,
HCP’s are called to be proactively involved in all endeavors to
promote the psycho-social-emoti onal, mental, physical and ov er-
all well-being of children and youth who disclose actual, pre-
vious or past, and probable or potential exposures to various
forms of violence and trauma in our global society. This may be
accomplished by HCP’s incorporating routine screening, early
identification, assessment, and appropriate therapeutic treat-
ment modalities. Finally, one must remember that the future
rests with our children and youth and therefore, the best ap-
proach on their behalf should be health promotion and preven-
tion of exposures to violence and adverse traumatic events.
Acknowledgements
This article was supported by an academic publication grant
from the Text and Academic Authors Association Inc. (TAA)
URL:
http://www.taaonline.net/membersonly/publication_grants/inde
x.html. Also, the author would like to acknowledge the follow-
ing membe rs of T he Safer Tomorrows Project Research Team©:
C.A. Archer-Gift, Ph.D., L.M. Green, M.A., L.L.P.C., B.S.W.,
J.E. Onyskiw, Ph. D. and M. Price, Ph.D. for their assistance
and dedication to our mission and vision.
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