Group: Preventing school violence begins long before attacks happen

MANILA, Philippines — The Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) warned against simplistic explanations on the recent school shooting in Tacloban City, pointing out that youth violence is shaped by interacting risk and protective factors.

PAP, in a statement issued on Monday, July 6, expressed its sorrow and solidarity with the families, students, teachers, school personnel, and communities affected by the incident that killed three students and wounded 20 more on June 22.

READ: School shooting kills 3 students in Tacloban

“School violence is a complex issue that cannot be explained by any single factor,” it said as it explained that psychological science shows that serious acts of violence among children and adolescents rarely arise from a single cause.

“They emerge through interactions among developmental, relational, social, community, digital, cultural, and societal influences,” PAP stressed as it called for “compassion and restraint against speculation, and emphasized timely, developmentally appropriate psychosocial support for affected students, families, school personnel, first responders, and communities.”

As the association of registered psychologists all over the country said, “youth violence is shaped by interacting risk and protective factors across individual and developmental, relational and social, community and ecological, and cultural and societal levels.”

Its statement likewise pointed to digital environments as part of young people’s developmental contexts, but emphasized that digital media and online games should not be treated as simple causes of violence.

Risk factors, PAP said, “do not inevitably lead to violence and cautions against simplistic, single-cause explanations in media, public commentary, mental health advocacy, and social media discussions.”

It pointed out that the prevention of school violence is a shared responsibility and called for comprehensive school mental health systems that promote well-being, respond early to emerging concerns, and provide coordinated support when needs become more significant.

For PAP, there should be enough access to qualified and competent professionals and sufficient staffing so students can receive timely, meaningful, and sustained support as it highlighted shared priorities across families, schools, communities, and broader systems.

These include supportive environments, responsible adult role-modeling, multidisciplinary responses, digital citizenship, safe firearm storage, and coordinated crisis preparedness and recovery. 

“Preventing school violence is a shared societal responsibility. Lasting prevention begins long before violence occurs – in the relationships, environments, institutions, and systems that shape children’s lives,” it said. 

“Every Filipino child deserves not only to be free from violence, but also to grow in environments that nurture resilience, hope, dignity, and flourishing,” PAP added. /mr