Youth Violence: Counseling
Recommendations made by the USPSTF are independent of the U.S. government. They should not be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The USPSTF recognizes the importance of this public health issue and the burden that youth violence has on a community. However, based on the currently available evidence, the USPSTF believes the potential impact of a new USPSTF recommendation on counseling in the primary care setting on reducing youth violence is limited. The USPSTF has therefore decided not to update its 1996 recommendation.
The USPSTF refers clinicians to the CDC's Community Guide (http://www.thecommunityguide.org), which has published recommendations on preventing violence. Please note that the Community Preventive Services Task Force’s methods for evidence review may differ from the methods of the USPSTF.