Aggression, Victimization and Problem Behavior Among Inner-City Minority Adolescents (original) (raw)
Related papers
Addictive Behaviors, 2003
The present study examined the prevalence rates and common predictors of substance use, aggression, and delinquency among inner-city minority youth entering middle school. A survey was administered to sixth grade students (N = 5442) from 42 New York City schools. Aggressive behaviors were reported most frequently, followed by delinquent behaviors, alcohol use, and cigarette smoking. Across all behavioral outcomes, social and environmental influences explained the largest proportion of variance, followed by individual characteristics and skills, bonding to conventional institutions, and demographic variables. For the majority of predictor variables, there was substantial overlap in patterns of prediction across outcomes. These findings indicate that several factors that correspond to the predominant psychosocial theories of adolescent development explain variation across different problem behavior outcomes among inner-city minority youth. D
Development and …, 2006
This study examined associations between two forms of peer victimization, physical and relational, and externalizing behaviors including drug use, aggression, and delinquent behaviors among a sample of 276 predominantly African American eighth graders attending middle school in an urban public school system. Regression analyses indicated that physical victimization was significantly related to cigarette and alcohol use but not to advanced alcohol and marijuana use; relational victimization contributed uniquely to all categories of drug use after controlling for physical victimization. Physical victimization was also significantly related to physical and relational aggression and delinquent behaviors, and relational victimization made a unique contribution in the concurrent prediction of these behaviors. Physical victimization was more strongly related to both categories of alcohol use, aggression, and to delinquent behaviors among boys than among girls. In contrast, relational victimization was more strongly related to physical aggression and marijuana use among girls than among boys, but more strongly related to relational aggression among boys than among girls. These findings provide information about the generalizability of prior research and have important implications for intervention efforts.
Impact of Violence on Problem Behavior Among AdolescentsRisk Factors Among an Urban Sample
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 2002
This paper measures the effects of exposure to violence on problem behavior (adjustment outcomes) among 306 African-American middle and high school students in the state of Virginia. Relying on recent research examining the relationship between violent events and problem behavior, the study uses structural equation modeling to examine internalizing and externalizing behavioral characteristics (i.e., delinquency, depression, negative self-esteem, and avoidance) among African-American youth exposed to violence through direct victimization, witnessing violence and association with delinquent peers. The results show a strong association between victimization experience and adjustment outcomes including both internalizing (i.e., self-rejection, depression) and externalizing (i.e., offenses) problem behavior. The results also suggest a linkage between victimization and avoidance as a coping strategy. With regard to gender differences, the findings indicate a greater influence of victimization on offenses, selfrejection, and avoidance among males and a stronger influence of victimization on depression among females in the sample. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed.
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 2015
This study examined associations between physical and relational forms of aggression and victimization and risk for willingness to engage in substance use and actual use in a sample of 231 (50% Male) 2 nd thru 4 th grade students (Mean age = 8.3 years). Physical aggression was more strongly associated with risk for substance use outcomes than physical victimization. Neither relational aggression nor victimization were linked to risk for substance use. Specifically targeting physical aggression for the prevention of early substance use among elementary school-age youth appears to be warranted.
The Journal of Pediatrics, 2000
An 86-item confidential questionnaire was administered to 722 sixth grade students (mean age = 11.9 ± 0.8 years) attending 4 middle schools serving neighborhoods in and around public housing. Results: Boys had a higher mean violence scale score than girls (P ≤ .0001), and students living in public housing had higher violence scale scores than other students (P ≤ .0001). Self-reported use of violence was significantly associated with exposure to violence (r = .45); age (r = .28); frequency of church attendance (r =-.14); depression (r = .28); the probability of being alive at age 25 (r =-.09); the frequency of use of cigarettes (r = .39), alcohol (r = .37), and multiple substances (r = .38); and interest in a gang (r = .37). When all of these variables were analyzed with multiple linear regression, multiple substance use, exposure to violence, interest in a gang, male gender, cigarette smoking, and depression level accounted for 49.7% of the variation in the use of violence scale. Conclusion: Recent multiple substance use and lifetime exposure to violence and victimization were the strongest correlates with the frequency that these youth reported using violence and carrying weapons.
Journal of Adolescent Health, 2012
To estimate trajectories of aggression among African Americans and Hispanics using a longitudinal sample of urban adolescents, and test multiple domains of risk factors to differentiate profiles of aggression. Methods: Participants included 3,038 adolescents followed from sixth to eighth grade. Trajectories of aggression were estimated for African Americans and Hispanics separately, and multinomial regression procedures were used to evaluate the effect of multiple domains of risk and protective factors. Mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate the indirect effects of contextual variables on aggression. Results: Four profiles of aggression were identified. Among Hispanics, groups included: (1) lowaggression, (2) desistors, (3) escalators, and (4) consistent aggression; among African Americans: (1) low-aggression, (2) escalators, (3) moderate-consistent aggression, and (4) consistent aggression. Differences in the multiple domains of risk factors emerged between racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions: Contextual variables (peer alcohol use, adult alcohol consumption, and access to alcohol at home) increased risk for aggression differentially by racial/ethnic group.
Problem Behavior and Urban, Low-Income Youth
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2013
Background: Youth problem behaviors remain a public health issue. Youth in low-income, urban areas are particularly at risk for engaging in aggressive, violent, and disruptive behaviors.
Maternal and child health journal, 2001
To describe the prevalence and characteristics of violence and violence-related behaviors among six populations of U.S. minority adolescents in grades 6-8. Six thousand four hundred non-White adolescents were recruited from six sites that were part of a collaborative project. Surveys were administered either during the school day or at community facilities. All students at each site were asked 10 questions about recent violence-related behaviors (including use of threats, fighting, weapon carrying, and weapon use). Prevalence of each violence-related behavior was reported within and across sites, and stratified by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and other characteristics expected to influence the behaviors. Sixty-six percent (66%) of the middle school students sampled reported being involved in some type of recent fighting and/or weapon-related behaviors. Sixty-one percent (61%) indicated some form of fighting behavior in the past 3 months (threatening to beat someone up, physical figh...