CHICAGO, IL, April 22, 1999 – While millions of Americans struggle to explain "why" in the aftermath of the tragic high school shooting in Colorado, one children’s advocacy group is pointing out that the roots of such violence are often planted in earliest childhood.

Prevent Child Abuse America, formerly the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, suggested today that child abuse and neglect are often major contributing factors in violence among adolescents and adults. At the same time, the organization released suggestions for parents on some of the warning signs displayed by teens who may be heading for serious trouble.

"We’d like to think that these devastating and brutal acts of violence were unavoidable and unpredictable, but that’s often not the case," said A. Sidney Johnson III, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse America. "Most of the time, clues suggesting possible violent behavior had been making themselves known for years."

"The actions of the alleged perpetrators in Colorado would appear to be consistent with that of children who are holding rage and anger from a much earlier time in their lives and haven’t been able to channel it in constructive behaviors," said Johnson. "Typically, these children lack the ability to regulate their own emotions and the ability to empathize with others, sometimes resulting in suicide, substance abuse, violent behavior and a cold indifference to other human beings."

Johnson emphasized that his comments were not strictly related to the alleged perpetrators of the killings at Columbine High School, since their histories and background are not yet completely known.

In making his comments, Johnson cited Robin Karr-Morse, author of Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence (The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997), in which she presented evidence that the roots of violent behavior can often be traced to the first years of life. In her 1997 book, Karr-Morse wrote that the foundations for trust, empathy, conscience and lifelong learning – or the predisposition to violent behavior – are built from infancy. As a result, children who are victims of neglect or abuse become much more likely to commit violent acts as juveniles and adults.

"Media coverage of these tragedies tends to treat violent behavior as if it suddenly emerges from a developmental void," said Karr-Morse. "To understand the tide of violent behavior typified by this tragedy, we must look at the first 33 months of life, which harbor the seeds of violence for a growing percentage of American children."

According to Johnson, the abuse and neglect that results in such violent behavior takes place in families of all classes, races and ethnicities. While many people tend to think it only happens in poor families, the emotional neglect that results in the building of such rage among our children and teens is particularly prevalent in our middle class.

"It’s become quite a phenomenon in our middle class," agreed Karr-Morse. "Often, emotional neglect or physical abuse is at the root of violent or anti-social behavior among our children and teens, but the middle class is very good at hiding the fact that abuse or neglect ever took place."

According to both Johnson and Karr-Morse, child abuse and neglect in a criminal’s past do not excuse the criminal behavior, but ought to remind us that the impact of child abuse and neglect can often extend beyond the immediate victim.

"Barring any dramatic physiological factors, a child doesn’t just wake up one day, walk into school with a loaded gun and start shooting," said Johnson. "Even for children who display far less dramatic and tragic behaviors, the warning signs are often apparent if you know what to look for."

Prevent Child Abuse America suggested that parents should be on the look-out for the following behaviors, which may be warning signs that a teen is heading for serious trouble:

• Shows open disregard for a parent’s rules, daring the parents to stop them.
• Takes serious health risks. This may include drinking or drug use, poor sleeping habits, premature sexual activity and reckless driving.
• Gets into serious trouble outside the home, including problems with school officials, the police or other authority figures.
• Has new friends but won’t bring them home to meet his or her parents.
• Experiences sudden mood changes, which may be expressed as anger, depression or overly excited behavior.
• Loses interest in school.
• Has money from unexplained sources or spends money for unknown purposes.

"Some of these indicators may not be problematic if they are exhibited for only a short time, but if they appear repeatedly or in combination, parents may wish to seek the advice of a good counselor who specializes with adolescents and their families," said Johnson.

Prevent Child Abuse America – formerly known as the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse – is the leading organization working at the national, state and local levels to prevent child abuse in all its forms. Headquartered in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has 42 state chapters and is supported by private and corporate donors. The organization is widely known for its public awareness, education, prevention programs, advocacy and research.