NCJ Number
191654
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 14 Issue: 11 Dated: November 1999 Pages: 1123-1136
Date Published
November 1999
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the results of the Attitudes Towards Violence Scale in assessing the impact of violence prevention programs therefore, resensitizing individuals to violence.
Abstract
The development of violence prevention programs is an outcome of the escalating incidence of youth violence. The development of such programs is an attempt to resensitize individuals to violence. To assess the impact of these prevention and intervention programs, the Attitudes Towards Violence Scale was designed. The Scale demonstrated good internal reliability and a meaningful two-factor solution: Reactive Violence (violence in response to actual or perceived threat) and Culture of Violence (violence seen as an acceptable and valued activity). The Scale was administered in groups by classroom teachers and consisted of junior and senior high school students attending public school in the inner city of a medium-sized Midwestern city. Results indicated that being male, being of a non-European American ethnicity, or being a victim of violence predicted endorsement of pro-violence attitudes. The Scale can be used in targeting interventions according to preexisting attitudinal dispositions. The one significant study limitation was its sole reliance on self-report. References