Preventing Violence: A Review of Research, Evaluation, Gaps, and Opportunities. Revised February 2015.

This report summarizes a review of research and evaluation studies, as well as promising and proven interventions, to identify programs, policies, and practices that can contribute to reducing high levels of violence in the United States. It begins by discussing violence trends in the United States, variations by regions and subgroups, and violence in the United States compared with other nations. Individual-level factors related to violence are then identified and include factors related to mental health, sleep, substance use, disability, self-regulation, and a hostile attribution. Chapter 3 of the report explains family-level factors related to violence, including sexual violence, teen dating violence, intimate partner violence, and parenting. School-level factors related to violence are explored in Chapter 4, including bullying and cyberbullying, antisocial peers, school connectedness, school performance, and school climate. Chapter 5 reviews community and societal-level factors related to violence, including collective efficacy, gun availability, and media influence. The second part of the report focuses on interventions approaches in the education, health, justice, and community sectors, and cross-cutting-comprehensive interventions. The report closes with recommendations for programs and policies and a list of proven programs by target age. 5 figures and numerous references.