Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence

CDC’s new strategic vision outlines preventing multiple forms of violence.

Did you know that the different forms of violence—child abuse and neglect, youth violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, elder abuse, and suicide are interconnected and share the same root causes? Understanding the overlapping causes of violence and the things that can protect people and communities can help us better prevent violence in all its forms.

Several decades of research, prevention, and services have revealed a lot about the different forms of violence and how to prevent and respond to them. One fact clearly emerging from this body of work is that the different forms of violence are strongly interconnected.

Previous research indicates:

• Victims of one form of violence are likely to experience other forms of violence.
• People who have been violent in one context (e.g., toward peers) are likely to be violent in another context (e.g., toward dating partners).
• The different forms of violence share common consequences that have health effects across the lifespan such as mental, emotional, physical or social problems. These consequences may contribute to chronic health effects such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, or diabetes.
• Different forms of violence share common risk and protective factors .

CDC’s priorities related to violence prevention for the next 5 years.

CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention’s new strategic vision, Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence: A Strategic Vision for Connecting the Dots aims to prioritize our portfolio of work to better address the connections among the different forms of violence, shape future funding initiatives, and to guide our collaborative efforts with partners across the country.

Learn more about CDC’s efforts to prevent multiple forms of violence:

• Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence: A Strategic Vision for Connecting the Dots
• Connecting the Dots: An Overview of the Links of Multiple Forms of Violence