Home > Emmanuel Research Review > Issue No. 26 > Issue No. 26 Part Two

Emmanuel Research Review

Issue No. 26 — April 2007
PART TWO

Issue No. 26 PART ONE | Research Review index | Emmanuel Gospel Center

Fringe Kids and Violence

Resources and Links: Part One of this issue offers two articles by Dr. Scott Larson on the topic of youth violence. In Part Two, we have included national and local statistics, risk factors, protective factors, responses, preventative measures and resources that both outline the significance and contours of youth violence today and begin to identify practical steps to reduce youth violence tomorrow.

Prevalence of Youth Violence and Exposure to Violence

National Statistics on Youth Violence

Excerpts from a Centers for Disease Control Fact Sheet, Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm

Youth violence is an important public health problem that results in deaths and injuries. The following statistics provide an overview of youth violence in the United States.

• In 2003, 5,570 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered - an average of 15 each day. Of these victims, 82% were killed with firearms (CDC 2006).
• Among 10 to 24 year olds, homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans, the second leading cause of death for Hispanics, and the third leading cause of death for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Asian/Pacific Islanders (CDC 2006).
• Although high-profile school shootings have increased public concern for student safety, school-associated violent deaths account for less than 1% of homicides among school-aged children and youth (Anderson et al. 2001).
• In 2004, more than 750,000 young people ages 10 to 24 were treated in emergency departments for injuries sustained due to violence (CDC 2006).
• In a nationwide survey of high school students (CDC 2004):
  • 33% reported being in a physical fight one or more times in the 12 months preceding the survey.
  • 17% reported carrying a weapon (e.g., gun, knife, or club) on one or more of the 30 days preceding the survey.
• An estimated 30% of 6th to 10th graders in the United States were involved in bullying as a bully, a target of bullying, or both (Nansel et al. 2001).
• In a nationwide survey of high school students, about 6% reported not going to school on one or more days in the 30 days preceding the survey because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to and from school (CDC 2004).
• Of the 5,570 homicides reported in 2003 among 10 to 24 year olds, 86% were males and 14% were females (CDC 2005).
• Male students are more likely to be involved in a physical fight than female students (41% vs. 25%; CDC 2004).

References

Anderson MA, Kaufman J, Simon TR, Barrios L, Paulozzi L, Ryan G, et al. “School-associated violent deaths in the United States, 1994-1999.” Journal of the American Medical Association 2001;286:2695-702.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2006) [cited 2006 Feb 8]. Available from: URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance. United States, 2003. MMWR 2004;53(SS02):1-96.

Nansel TR, Overpeck M, Pilla RS, Ruan WJ, Simons-Morton B, Scheidt P. “Bullying behaviors among US youth: prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment.” Journal of the American Medical Association 2001;285(16):2094−100.

Source for statistics and content above: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm

Boston Statistics on Youth Violence

Excerpts from a City of Boston website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/humanservices/pdfs/youthsurvey2004.pdf

Boston Youth Survey 2004

• Over three-quarters (87%) of respondents (8% of the sample missing data on this question) reported witnessing one or more acts of violence in the past year; nearly half of the respondents (44%) reported personally experiencing one or more types of victimization (13% missing data).
• Over 80% of these 9th through 12th grade youth reported that they had seen someone hit, slapped, punched, kicked or beaten up in the past year, and over two-thirds reported seeing another person threatened or chased in the past year when they believed someone could be seriously hurt.
• Over half of the students reported witnessing or being victimized by at least one type of violence: at their school (58%), in their neighborhood (58%), or on the street (54%). Nearly half reported witnessing or experiencing at least one type of violence: one the way to and from school (49%) and/or on the MBTA (47%). Nearly a fifth (18%) reported these experiences at home.
• Boys were more likely than girls to report being victimized by violence in the past year (53% vs. 36%); over half of boys were victimized by violence.
• Immigrants were less likely than those born in the U.S. to report being victimized by violence (39% vs. 46%), but also were less likely to report that they felt safe in all or most places (42%) vs. 60%).
• Over half (52%; 11% of the sample missing) felt that gangs in their school were somewhat or very dangerous, and more than two-thirds (70%; 12% of the sample missing) felt that gangs in their neighborhoods were somewhat or very dangerous.
• Forty-one percent (41%; 12% of the sample missing) reported that it would be either very or fairly easy to get a gun. Boys were more likely than girls to believe that getting a gun would be very or fairly easy (50% vs. 33%), as were youth who had been born in the U.S. (47% vs. 32% of those who immigrated more than 4 years and 20% of those who had immigrated more recently).

Violence in our communities affects the lives of young people in many ways. The fear of violence may keep them from playing outdoors, crossing neighborhood boundaries, moving around the city, and taking advantage of resources and activities. Fear of assault on the way to and from school or at school can lead to school absences and decreased academic achievement.²² Violence at home also leaves some teens without a safe refuge and may lead to depression, anger, withdrawal, negative peer affiliations, aggression against others, and difficulty in school. The psychological harm of witnessing violence and the physical and emotional injuries that occur when one is a victim of violence may have longer-term effects as well. Experiencing violence as a teenager puts children and adolescents at increased risk of developing substance abuse, mental health, and relationship problems.²³ Teens who have witnessed or been victims of violence also are at risk to be violent in future relationships.²⁴

References:

²² Child Trends Databank. Youth who feel unsafe at school. www.childtrendsdatabank.org/family/school/38UnsafeatSchool.htm, 6/4/03.

²³ Menard, S. (2002). Youth violence research bulletin: Short- and long-term consequences of adolescent victimization: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/191210.pdf , 6/4/03.

²⁴ Wordes, M., & Nunez, M. (2002). Our vulnerable teenagers: Their victimization, its consequences, and directions for prevention and intervention: National Council on Crime and Delinquency: 13. http://www.ncvc.org/teens/ 6/4/03

Content Source: http://www.cityofboston.gov/humanservices/pdfs/youthsurvey2004.pdf

Risk Factors and Protective Factors Related to Youth Violence

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Excerpts from a Centers for Disease Control website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm

Research on youth violence has increased our understanding of factors that make some populations more vulnerable to victimization and perpetration. Many risk factors are the same, in part, because of the overlap among victims and perpetrators of violence. Risk factors increase the likelihood that a young person will become violent. However, risk factors are not direct causes of youth violence; instead, risk factors contribute to youth violence (Mercy et al. 2002; DHHS 2001). Research associates the following risk factors with perpetration of youth violence (DHHS 2001; Lipsey and Derzon 1998; Resnick et al. 2004).

Individual Risk Factors

• History of violent victimization or involvement
• Attention deficits, hyperactivity, or learning disorders
• History of early aggressive behavior
• Involvement with drugs, alcohol, or tobacco
• Low IQ
• Poor behavioral control
• Deficits in social cognitive or information-processing abilities
• High emotional distress
• History of treatment for emotional problems
• Antisocial beliefs and attitudes
• Exposure to violence and conflict in the family

Family Risk Factors

• Authoritarian childrearing attitudes
• Harsh, lax, or inconsistent disciplinary practices
• Low parental involvement
• Low emotional attachment to parents or caregivers
• Low parental education and income
• Parental substance abuse or criminality
• Poor family functioning
• Poor monitoring and supervision of children

Peer/School Risk Factors

• Association with delinquent peers
• Involvement in gangs
• Social rejection by peers
• Lack of involvement in conventional activities
• Poor academic performance
• Low commitment to school and school failure

Community Risk Factors

• Diminished economic opportunities
• High concentrations of poor residents
• High level of transiency
• High level of family disruption
• Low levels of community participation
• Socially disorganized neighborhoods

For more information on measures to assess risks for youth violence, see Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools – Second Edition.

Protective Factors

Protective factors buffer young people from risks of becoming violent. These factors exist at various levels. To date, protective factors have not been studied as extensively or rigorously as risk factors. However, identifying and understanding protective factors are equally as important as researching risk factors.

Most research is preliminary. Studies propose the following protective factors (DHHS 2001; Resnick et al. 2004):

Individual Protective Factors

• Intolerant attitude toward deviance
• High IQ or high grade point average
• Positive social orientation
• Religiosity

Family Protective Factors

• Connectedness to family or adults outside of the family
• Ability to discuss problems with parents
• Perceived parental expectations about school performance are high
• Frequent shared activities with parents
• Consistent presence of parent during at least one of the following: when awakening, when arriving home from school, at evening mealtime, and when going to bed
• Involvement in social activities

Peer/School Protective Factors

• Commitment to school
• Involvement in social activities

References:

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Youth violence: a report of the Surgeon General [online]; 2001. Available from URL: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence/toc.html.

Lipsey MW, Derzon JH. Predictors of violent and serious delinquency in adolescence and early adulthood: a synthesis of longitudinal research. In: Loeber R, Farrington DP, editors. Serious and violent juvenile offenders: risk factors and successful interventions. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage Publications; 1998. p. 86−105.

Mercy J, Butchart A, Farrington D, Cerdá M. Youth violence. In: Krug E, Dahlberg LL, Mercy JA, et al., editors. The world report on violence and health. Geneva (Switzerland): World Health Organization; 2002. p. 25−56.

Resnick MD, Ireland M, Borowsky I. Youth violence perpetration: what protects? What predicts? Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Journal of Adolescent Health 2004;35:424.e1−e10.

Content Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm

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The Surgeon General Report

As used in the Surgeon General’s report on youth violence, “risk factors are personal characteristics or environmental conditions that predict the onset, continuity, or escalation of violence.”  These risk factors are not necessarily proven causes, but strong evidence exists to support consideration of these factors in designing prevention programs.

Content Source:

Elliot, Delbert, Norma J. Hatot, and Paul Sirovatka, editors. Youth Violence : A Report of the Surgeon General.  Washington, D.C.: Department of Health and Human Services, 2001.  http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence/toc.html (April 2007), Box 4-1, Chapter 4.

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Responses and Effective Preventative Measures

What follows is a list of some of the responses and preventative measures that begin to emerge from the risk and protective factors of the previous section. Each of these are areas we plan to be examining in future issues of the Emmanuel Research Review. If you have written on any of these topics as they specifically relate to youth violence and at risk youth, and you would like to share your ideas with others, please contact Brian Corcoran, Managing Editor.

• Spiritual foundations and anchors
• Parenting and family support measures
• Effective mentoring
• Counseling and multi-systemic treatment
• Mediation, conflict resolution and intervention
• Detention facilities programs, and preventing recidivism
• Reducing violence in media and video games
• Disarming youth, reducing access to guns
• Education, school and after school
• Recreation, sports

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Resources for Further Study

Books

Garbarino, James.  Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. New York: The Free Press, Simon and Schuster, 1999.

Guerra, Nancy G. and Smith, Emilie Phillips editors. Preventing Youth Violence in a Multicultural Society. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2006.

Prothrow-Stith, Deborah, and Howard R. Spivak.  Sugar and Spice and No Longer Nice: How We Can Stop Girl’s Violence.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Links

Boston Centers for Youth and Families enhances the quality of life for Boston's residents by supporting children, youth and families through a wide range of programs and services. http://www.cityofboston.gov/bcyf/

Boston TenPoint Coalition is an ecumenical group of Christian clergy and lay leaders working to mobilize the Christian community around issues affecting Black and Latino youth, especially those at risk for violence, drug abuse and other destructive behavior. http://www.bostontenpoint.org/

Boston Youth Network is a resource website for organizations and providers serving youth at high risk in the City of Boston. This website spotlights successful approaches and ideas from providers all over the city to work with youth with multiple barriers to success. http://www.bostonyouthnet.org/

Center for the Prevention of School Violence. Raleigh (NC): North Carolina State University, Center for the Prevention of School Violence; c1995-2000. Available from: www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/

Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. Boulder (CO): University of Colorado; c1998. Available from: http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/

Family Violence Prevention Fund. San Francisco (CA): The Fund; c1999. Available from: http://www.fvpf.org/

Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center works to collaboratively to build community capacity for youth violence prevention in Boston. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hyvpc/

Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence promotes interdisciplinary research, engages in the design, implementation and evaluation of community-based programs for violence prevention, helps bridge the gap between science and practice related to violence prevention. http://dept.kent.edu/ispv/

Mothers Against Teen Violence. Dallas (TX): The Wilkins Group Inc.; c2000. Available from: http://www.matvinc.org/index.asp

The National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice. College Park (MD): University of Maryland. Available from: http://www.edjj.org/index.html

National Children's Coalition. Oakland (CA): The Coalition. Available from: http://www.child.net/ncc.htm

The National Consortium On Violence Research (NCOVR), is a research, training, and data resource specializing in violence research. http://www.ncovr.heinz.cmu.edu/home.htm

National School Safety Center. Westlake Village (CA): The Center. Available from: http://www.nssc1.org/

National Youth Gang Center. Tallahasse (FL): Institute for Intergovernmental Research; c2000. Available from: http://www.iir.com/nygc/

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center was established as a central source of information on prevention and intervention programs, publications, research, and statistics on violence committed by and against children and teens. http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/ace/sites.asp

OJJDP: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Washington (DC): Department of Justice (US). Available from: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/index.html

PAVNET online. Washington (DC): Partnerships Against Violence Network;. Available from: http://www.pavnet.org/

preventviolence.org. San Rafael (CA): Resources for Youth. Available from: http://www.preventviolence.org/

Shaw-Cotera Youth Violence Consortium. Austin (TX): University of Texas, Center for Criminology and Criminal Justice Research. Available from: http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/scyvc/index.html

Southern California Academic Center of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention is committed to the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of youth violence prevention programs and strategies that acknowledge the diversity of causes and solutions to preventing youth violence.
http://www.stopyouthviolence.ucr.edu/index.html

Violence Institute of New Jersey at UMDNJ. Newark (NJ): University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Available from: http://www.umdnj.edu/vinjweb/index.htm

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