NCJ Number
182741
Journal
American Journal of Public Health Volume: 90 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2000 Pages: 566-572
Date Published
2000
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study seeking to identify early predictors of adolescent violence and to assess whether they vary by sex and across different types and levels of violence.
Abstract
Data from a 5-year longitudinal self-report survey of more than 4,300 high school seniors and dropouts from California and Oregon were used to regress measures of relational, predatory and overall violence on predictors measured 5 years earlier. Deviant behavior in grade 7, poor grades, and weak bonds with middle school predicted violent behavior 5 years later. Attending a middle school with comparatively high levels of cigarette and marijuana use was also linked with subsequent violence. Early drug use and peer drug use predicted increased levels of predatory violence but not its simple occurrence. Girls with low self-esteem during early adolescence were more likely to hit others later on; boys who attended multiple elementary schools were also more likely to engage in relational violence. The article suggests that violence prevention programs for younger adolescents should include efforts to prevent or reduce troublesome behavior in school and poor academic performance; efforts to raise girls’ self-esteem; extra training to help boys resist influences that encourage deviant behavior and programs aimed at preventing drug use. Tables, references