Is there violence in the neighbourhood? Ask the children.

BACKGROUND Community violence is a major public health concern. Much has been written about high intensity community violence such as wars or gang violence. However, chronic low intensity community violence is greatly overlooked. The objective of the following study is to assess how children living in neighbourhoods characterized by chronic low intensity violence perceive their environment. METHODS Children drew two pictures: one of their physical neighbourhoods and the other representing what goes on in the neighbourhoods. Each child also completed a neighbourhood safety survey. RESULTS The participants were four hundred and five children (213 girls; 192 boys) 8-12 years old (mean = 9.70; SD = 1.26) who lived in Beirut. 75 drawings contained violent incidents (fist fights and heated verbal arguments were most commonly depicted). 168 children mentioned people fighting or quarrelling in the streets but elected not to draw them. Children reported feeling unsafe and dissatisfaction with the quality of their neighbourhoods. CONCLUSION Children living in chronic low intensity community violence may feel unsafe and distrustful of their environment but may perceive violent events as regular normal occurrence. The risk of copying such behaviours and propagating violence is to be considered seriously.