How Witnessing Violence Impacts Brain Development (opinion)

"On Sept. 10, a public lecture at Utah Valley University became the site of a nightmare when the political commentator Charlie Kirk was killed before thousands of students. Whatever one thinks of Kirk's politics, the trauma endured by those young witnesses will last far longer than the news cycle. For adolescents, such moments do not fade when the cameras leave. They etch themselves into the brain-literally. Witnessing violence, even indirectly, negatively impacts brain development."

"Again and again, the evidence is stark: When adolescents witness or hear about violence in their communities, their developing brains bear the burden. The anterior cingulate cortex-a region critical for processing stress and pain, emotional regulation, motivation, learning, and social connection-has a greater decrease in gray-matter volume in adolescents exposed to more community violence. This pattern of gray-matter volume decrease has been seen in ground troops deployed to war and in people affected by post-traumatic stress disorder."

"Adolescents are not passive victims of their environments. They have within them the capacity to buffer these harms, within themselves and within society. That capacity is what we call transcendent thinking. Transcendent thinking is the ability to move beyond the immediate details of an event and consider the complexities that characterize a diverse society, to explore perspectives that differ or conflict with one's own and to contemplate the bigger picture: What does this mean for me, for my community, for justice and fai"

A deadly campus event illustrates how traumatic moments imprint on adolescent brains and persist beyond media attention. Witnessing violence, even indirectly, harms brain development and is associated with decreases in anterior cingulate cortex gray-matter volume. Similar neuroanatomical patterns appear in combat veterans and people with post-traumatic stress disorder. These brain changes correlate with higher risk of anxiety, depression, and difficulty sustaining attention. Neuroscience indicates adolescents can actively buffer such harms through transcendent thinking, which involves moving beyond immediate details to consider diverse perspectives, broader community implications, and questions of justice and meaning.

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