NCJ Number
185331
Journal
Deviant Behavior Volume: 21 Issue: 6 Dated: November-December 2000 Pages: 519-536
Date Published
2000
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the antecedent behavior patterns of violently victimized male youths, using a variety of instruments.
Abstract
Study participants were 60 males ages 15 through 24 who were victims of a serious violent act (i.e., gunshot, stabbing, assault with a weapon, and assault without a weapon) and who required inpatient treatment at a Level 1 urban trauma center. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents were African American, 10 percent were Hispanic, and 2 percent were Native American. A data-collection form developed by the researcher was used to obtain demographic information through an interview. A 14-item risk-taking survey asked victims to estimate how often they engaged in risk-taking behaviors. The 29-item Aggression Questionnaire was used to measure four aspects of aggression: physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility. The Weekly Activity Record was used to measure daily activities, and the Delinquency Index measured delinquent behaviors of youth and criminal behaviors of young adults. Sixty-six percent of the participants reported engaging in risky, delinquent/criminal, and/or aggressive behavior prior to victimization. Victims aged 20-24 differed significantly from those aged 15-19, in that they reported more risky, delinquent/criminal, and/or aggressive behaviors (RDA) prior to the event and more frequent RDA behaviors in general. They also spent more hours engaged in negative activities than the younger group. These findings are congruent with the lifestyle-routine activities and risky behavior theories of violent victimization. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 30 references