A Glimpse into Urban Middle Schools on Probation for "Persistently Dangerous" Status: Identifying Malleable Predictors of Fighting

The Association Between Bullying Victimization and Fighting in School Among US High School Students

In-school fighting often results in severe punishment and compromised learning outcomes, without adequate consideration of contextual factors or student vulnerabilities. In this study, using a large, nationally representative data sample from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 13677), we assessed associations between a history of bullying victimization (at school and online) and past year fighting at school among U.S. high school students. Multiple regression models were used, adjusting first for demographics, and then for demographics and emotional-behavioral risks (depressive symptoms, alcohol consumption, and sexual violence victimization), for the total sample and then stratified by gender/sex. Both cyberbullying and in-school bullying were significantly associated with past year in-school fighting for the total sample, with associations retained, but marginally attenuated in fully adjusted models (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.01-1.66 and in-school bullying: AOR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.57-2.45). Gender/sex-stratified models demonstrated retained associations for males (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.93; 1.51-2.46 and in-school bullying: AOR: 2.70, 95% CI: 2.18-3.34) and females (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.89; 1.33-2.68 and in-school bullying: AOR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.19-2.33) after adjusting for demographics, but only for males after adjusting for demographics and emotional-behavior risk factors (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.07-1.93 and in-school bullying: AOR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.73-2.92). These results demonstrate a significant association between bullying victimization and fighting, which was amplified for male students, and partially explained by social and emotional risks. This suggests that punitive approaches to fighting in school may be resulting in compounded harms for already vulnerable adolescents and that support-oriented approaches emphasizing conflict resolution, social-emotional well-being, positive gender identity development, and bullying prevention may be more appropriate.

Factors Associated With Urban Youth and Parent Perceptions of the Preventability of Assault Injury: An Emergency Department Sample

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to identify factors associated with urban youth and parent's perception of the preventability of medically attended youth assault injuries to guide future violence prevention strategies.

METHODS

Assault-injured youth (n = 188; ages, 10-15 years; 60% male; 96% black) and their parents were recruited from 2 pediatric emergency departments in 2 cities. Mental health, injury severity, circumstances of injury, and family composition were some of the factors explored as cross-sectional predictors of the perception of the preventability of youth assault injury. Separate models were developed using stepwise regression for youth and parents.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight (38%) youth and 123 parents (68%) reported that the injury was definitely preventable (χ2 = 9.6250, P < 0.05). For youth, identifying themselves as the aggressor (odds ratio [OR], 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07-0.70) or having been hospitalized for psychiatric illness (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.05-0.85) was associated with lower odds of perceiving their injury as preventable, while being under the care of a mental health professional (OR, 3.87; 95% CI, 1.21-12.39) was associated with higher odds. For parents, being in a household with grandparents (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.04-0.99) or having a child with a learning disability (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05-0.57) was associated with lower odds of perceiving the injury as preventable.

CONCLUSIONS

Several factors in youth and parents were identified as being associated with perception of preventability of injuries in this high-risk population of youth. Youth and parents identified different factors. In addition, although most parents reported that the assault injury sustained by their child was preventable, the opposite was true for youth perceptions. Future violence prevention programs should consider youth and parent perspectives and develop unique strategies to address both their needs.

Youth Violence: How Gender Matters in Aggression Among Urban Early Adolescents

Although research suggests gender differences in both forms and functions of aggressive behavior, there has been limited research into these types among African American early adolescents. This study examined the types and patterns of aggression in girls and boys in that group. Participants were 452 predominantly African American middle school youth (50.4% girls) aged 11 to 13 ( M = 11.97) enrolled in three urban public schools. Students were invited to participate in a school-based intervention designed to prevent aggressive and deviant behaviors. Assessments occurred pre- and post-intervention. Surveys were analyzed to identify gender differences in the levels and types of aggressive behaviors, as well as differences in predictors of aggressive behaviors. Predictors were measured at baseline; aggressive behaviors at follow-up. There were significant gender differences in types of aggressive behaviors and their predictors indicating a need to develop and implement more suitable, gender-tailored prevention and treatment approaches.

Using the theory of planned behavior to predict aggression and weapons carrying in urban African American early adolescent youth

Aggressive and weapons carrying behaviors are indicative of youth violence. The theory of planned behavior is used in the current analysis to improve our understanding of violence-related behaviors. We examine the influence of perceived behavioral control (self-control and decision making) as a part of the overall framework for understanding the risk and protective factors for aggressive behaviors and weapons carrying. As the baseline assessment of an intervention trial, survey data were collected on 452 sixth-grade students (50% girls; 96.6% African American; mean age 12.0 years) from urban middle schools. A total of 18.4% carried a weapon in the prior 12 months, with boys more likely to carry a weapon than girls (22.5% vs. 14.2%, p = .02). Of the youth, 78.4% reported aggressive behaviors with no significant differences found between girls (81.3%) and boys (75.5%). In logistic regression models, having peers who engage in problem behaviors was found to be a significant risk factor. Youth with peers who engaged in numerous problem behaviors were five times more likely to be aggressive than those who reported little or no peer problem behaviors. Teens who reported that their parents opposed aggression (odds ratio [OR] = 0.76; confidence interval [CI] = 0.66, 0.88) and who used self-control strategies (OR = 0.59; CI = 0.39, 0.87) were found to report less aggressive behaviors. For weapons carrying, being a girl (OR = 0.56; CI = 0.32, 0.97) and self-control (OR = 0.52; CI = 0.29, 0.92) were protective factors. This study demonstrated that the theory of planned behavior may provide a useful framework for the development of violence prevention programs. Practitioners should consider integrating strategies for developing healthy relationships and improving self-control.

School violent victimization and recent alcohol use and episodic heavy drinking among youth

School violent victimization is a serious public health problem among youth. The current study investigated the association between youth alcohol use and school violent victimization among middle school and high school students (N=54,361). The PRIDE national survey for Grades 6-12 was administered to youth in their classrooms. Results indicated that 38.3% of students were involved in school violent victimization. School violent victimization differed significantly based on sex, race, and grade level. Logistic regression analyses indicated that school violent victimization was directly related to elevated alcohol use in the past 12 months and episodic heavy drinking among youth. Findings from this study may be beneficial to school nurses in creating bullying and substance abuse prevention programs for students. Recommendations for future research are included.