Preventing Violence and Related Health-Risking Social Behaviors in Adolescents, Summary

• NCJ Number: 207327
• Author(s): M. D. Kipke; L. S. Chan; A. Schneir; E. Iverson; C. Warf; M. A. Limbos; P. Shekelle
• Date Published: September 2004
• Length: 33 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Corporate Author: Southern California Evidence-based Practice Ctr--Rand
• Sale Source: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Spreadsheet
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Edidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 107; downloaded October 22, 2004.

Annotation

After identifying the factors that contribute to violent behavior and associated adverse health consequences in childhood and adolescence, this research review examines the features of effective interventions and priorities for future research.

Abstract

The violent behaviors addressed in this report are murder/homicide, aggravated and nonaggravated assault, rape or sexual assault, robbery, gang fight, physical aggression, psychological injury/harm, and other serious injury. The research review was limited to peer-reviewed articles published in 1990 or later and retrievable through four Internet search engines. All of the studies were conducted in the United States and focused on violent behavior by adolescents, ages 12 through 17. The 35 articles on risk factors for youth violence were based on 23 prospective cohort studies of 11 samples defined by gender, race/ethnicity, and at-risk population. Across all studies, only male gender was consistently significantly associated with youth violence. The following combinations of risk factors were associated with repeated youth violence: living in a low-income neighborhood, lack of guilt, sexual activity, carrying a hidden weapon, and poor communication at home. A combination of living in a high-income neighborhood and physical aggression were also linked to repeated youth violence. The combination of parent-family connectedness, school connectedness/parental presence, and grade-point average in both boys and girls significantly decreased the risk of youth violence. The review of the effectiveness of intervention programs was not consistently or uniformly reported in the articles reviewed, thus making it difficult to assess program effectiveness by program characteristics. Recommended priorities for future research pertain to risk factors that contribute to youth violence, prevention interventions, research methodology, the quality of publications, and evidence-assessment methods. 29 references