Youthviolence, Immigration, and Acculturation

Despite recent downward trends, youth violence continues to be a significant concern in the United States, as evidenced by recent calls for action (Office of the Surgeon General, 2001). Furthermore, rates of youth violence in this country are still among the highest in the industrial world (Cunningham, 2000). As discussed by Smith and Guerra (introduction, this volume) and throughout this book, epidemiological studies generally show that ethnic minority youth are disproportionately and adversely affected by violence, both as perpetrators and victims. Much of the work examining the plight of ethnic minority groups in light of the changing urban landscape and the impact on violence has emphasized conditions and consequences for African Americans (as discussed by Guerra and Williams, chap. I, this volume). However, attempts to increase one's understanding of the relation between ethnicity and youth violence in the United States also must consider the influence of immigration and acculturation on development and behavior. Indeed, since the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, there has been a sharp increase in the number of immigrants to the United States. Clearly, certain children and adolescents from specific ethnic groups that make up this immigration surge