Citation

Barroso CS, Peters RJ, Kelder S, Conroy J, Murray N, Orpinas P. J. Aggression Maltreat. Trauma 2008; 17(2): 141-155.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10926770802374916

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between exposure to community violence and aggression, victimization, and risk-taking behaviors among young adolescents. Secondary analysis was conducted on data from a cross-sectional survey of 8,259 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from eight urban schools in Texas. Results indicated that students exposed to a high level of community violence were 7.7 times more likely to carry a handgun, 5.2 times more likely to be involved in a gang were 6.4 times more likely to use marijuana, 5.3 times more likely to binge drink, and 2.8 times more likely to be injured as a result of fighting. This suggests the need for an interdisciplinary approach to violence prevention that targets all the environments of youth, including schools, homes, neighborhoods, and other community units.