FlintTalk.com Forum Index > Political Talk Topic: Youth Who Feel Unsafe Have Trouble Delaying Gratification

Author    Post   Public D F L I N T O I D http://www.findcounseling.com/help/news/2008/03/feeling_safe_means_urban_students_avoid_violence.html Youth Who Feel Unsafe Have Trouble Delaying Gratification Would you behave differently if you thought you could die tomorrow? For youth growing up in areas where personal safety is often at risk, this question informs daily behavior. Now, research from the University of Michigan's School of Public Health has aimed at finding out whether these feelings of jeopardized personal safety lead to a heightened sense of mortality which in turn affects personal behaviors. Researchers surveyed 607 7th and 8th graders in Flint, Michigan, the city ranked as the third most dangerous city in the U.S. Questions assessed students' perceptions of their neighborhood and its residents, personal experiences as a victim of crime or threats and participation in violent or destructive behaviors such as fighting or a carrying weapon. Results showed a direct correlation between students' experiences with interpersonal violence or negative perceptions about their surroundings and an inability to delay gratification which led them to engage in more risk-taking behaviors. Students who had experiences or perceptions that made them feel unsafe were three times more likely to carry weapons and six times more likely to damage school property or commit arson. Meanwhile, youth who felt safe showed an easier time delaying gratification and were forty percent less likely to engage in fighting. The report suggests these responses may be linked to evolutionary adaptations to changes in one's environment: Individuals who have experienced environments where safety, social support, and resource control are less certain appear to have an internalized environmental representation which is associated with riskier shorter-term strategies. Others who experienced more reliably supportive environments exhibit the reverse pattern, suppressing risky behavioral patterns. Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:47 pm    Display posts from previous:   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First

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