Osofsky's work focuses on the long-term physical, mental, and emotional well-being of children in society, coping methods, and recovery from traumatic events.
Osofsky has examined the negative consequences of experiencing violent events within the home or neighborhood setting, where ideally children should feel secure and loved.
Osofsky studied the development of children living in low-income communities throughout the United States, where many have witnessed violence and crime, including shootings, stabbings, drug dealing, and robberies.
[22] Children who experience unexpected and random tragedies, including the deaths of family and community members, may come to fear that these events will repeat in the future, which may result in post-traumatic stress disorder.
[21] Young children may form associations that lead them to anticipate traumatic events, including sensory information they vividly remember from the first time something horrific occurred.
[23] Being exposed to mature and explicit visuals may result in a loss of innocence, such that children may mentally begin to normalize the destructive environment, and may be at risk of becoming more combative and delinquent.