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R H Durant - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Weapon Carrying on school property among middle school students
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 1999Co-Authors: R H Durant, Shelley Kreiter, Daniel P Krowchuk, Sara H. Sinal, Charles R WoodsAbstract:OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between Carrying a Weapon at school and the age of onset of substance use, other indicators of violence, and other health risk behaviors among middle school students. DESIGN: In 1995, a modified version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to 2227 students (49% were female) attending 53 (of 463) randomly selected middle schools in North Carolina. Weapon Carrying on school property during school hours was measured with 2 questions assessing Carrying a gun and Carrying other Weapons such as knives or clubs. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey also assessed other indicators of violence, drug use, suicide plans and attempts, and being threatened with a Weapon at school. Variables significantly (P< or =.001) associated with gun and other Weapon Carrying by chi2 tests were analyzed with stepwise logistic regression using the likelihood ratio approach. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for all other variables in the model and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. RESULTS: Our study showed that 3% of students had carried a gun and 14.1% had carried a knife or club to school. Gun Carrying was associated with increased age (OR, 1.57 [95% CI, 1.15-2.14]); male sex (OR, 5.62 [95% CI, 2.42-13.03]); minority ethnicity (OR, 3.30 [95% CI, 1.55-5.05]); and earlier age of onset of cigarette (OR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.74-0.97]), alcohol (OR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.71-0.94]), marijuana (OR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.71-0.92]), and cocaine use (OR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.62-0.86]). Knife or club Carrying was associated with age (OR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.14-1.53]); male sex (OR, 2.39 [95% CI, 1.77-2.32]); and ear-lier age of onset of cigarette (OR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.84-0.94]), alcohol (OR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.76-0.86]), and marijuana use (OR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.72-0.83]). Gun Carrying was also associated with frequency of cigarette (OR, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.14-1.57]), alcohol (OR, 4.59 [95% CI, 1.27-16.58]), cocaine (OR, 2.96 [95% CI, 1.29-6.82]), and marijuana use (OR, 3.66 [95% CI, 1.67-8.06]) after adjusting for male sex and minority ethnicity. Carrying a knife or club was associated with Carrying a gun (OR, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.31-2.55]); being threatened with a Weapon at school (OR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.10-2.49]); fighting (OR, 4.62 [95% CI, 2.56-8.37]); frequency of alcohol (OR, 2.91 [95% CI, 1.88-4.50]) and cigarette use (OR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.10-1.31]); and a suicide plan (OR, 1.54 [95% CI, 1.07-2.20]). CONCLUSIONS: Middle school students are more likely to carry a knife or club (14.1%) than a gun (3%) to school. Young adolescents who initiate substance use early and engage in it frequently are more likely to carry guns and other Weapons to school, after adjusting for age, sex, and ethnicity. Being threatened with a Weapon at school and fighting were only associated with knife or club Carrying at school. These findings suggest that school-based prevention programs targeting both violence prevention and substance use should be introduced in elementary school.
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victimization use of violence and drug use at school among male adolescents who engage in same sex sexual behavior
The Journal of Pediatrics, 1998Co-Authors: R H Durant, Daniel P Krowchuk, Sara H. SinalAbstract:OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the number of male sexual partners of adolescent males and the frequency of victimization at school, missed school because of fear, used drugs at school, and engagement of fighting and Weapon Carrying both in and out of school. STUDY DESIGN: Sexually active male adolescents (N = 3886) in 8th through 12th grades were administered the 1995 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey. RESULTS: A total of 8.7% of male adolescents reported one or more male sexual partners. Alcohol, marijuana, and smokeless tobacco use at school, not attending school because of fear, having been threatened or injured with a Weapon at school, and Weapon Carrying at school accounted for 15.8% of the variation in the number of male sexual partners (p Language: en
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violence and Weapon Carrying in music videos a content analysis
JAMA Pediatrics, 1997Co-Authors: R H Durant, Michael Rich, S J Emans, Ellen S Rome, Elizabeth N Allred, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:Background: The positive portrayal of violence and Weapon Carrying in televised music videos is thought to have a considerable influence on the normative expectations of adolescents about these behaviors. Objectives: To perform a content analysis of the depictions of violence and Weapon Carrying in music videos, including 5 genres of music (rock, rap, adult contemporary, rhythm and blues, and country), from 4 television networks and to analyze the degree of sexuality or eroticism portrayed in each video and its association with violence and Weapon Carrying, as an indicator of the desirability of violent behaviors. Methods: Five hundred eighteen videos were recorded during randomly selected days and times of the day from the Music Television, Video Hits One, Black Entertainment Television, and Country Music Television networks. Four female and 4 male observaers aged 17 to 24 years were trained to use a standardized content analysis instrument. Interobserver reliability testing resulted in a mean (±SD) percentage agreement of 89.25%±7.10% and a mean (±SD) κ of 0.73±0.20. All videos were observed by rotating 2-person, male-female teams that were required to reach agreement on each behavior that was scored. Music genre and network differences in behaviors were analyzed with χ2tests. Results: A higher percentage (22.4%) of Music Television videos portrayed overt violence than Video Hits One (11.8%), Country Music Television (11.8%), and Black Entertainment Television (11.5%) videos (P=.02). Rap (20.4%) had the highest portrayal of violence, followed by rock (19.8%), country (10.8%), adult contemporary (9.7%), and rhythm and blues (5.9%) (P=.006). Weapon Carrying was higher on Music Television (25.0%) than on Black Entertainment Television (11.5%), Video Hits One (8.4%), and Country Music Television (6.9%) (P Conclusion: Because most music videos are between 3 and 4 minutes long, these data indicate that even modest levels of viewing may result in substantial exposure to violence and Weapon Carrying, which is glamorized by music artists, actors, and actresses. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:443-448
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the association of Weapon Carrying and fighting on school property and other health risk and problem behaviors among high school students
JAMA Pediatrics, 1997Co-Authors: R H Durant, Jessica A Kahn, Patricia Hayden Beckford, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:Objective: To examine the association between Weapon Carrying on school property and engaging in health risk and problem behaviors such as fighting and substance use on school property, fear of attending school, and victimization at school. Design: A complex 2-stage probability survey (Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey). Setting: High schools in Massachusetts. Participants: Three thousand fifty-four high school students. Main Outcome Measure: Number of days a Weapon was carried on school property during the 30 days prior to the survey. Results: The prevalence of self-reported Weapon Carrying on school property was 15% among male students and 5% among female students ( P P r =0.26), being a victim of threat or injury with a Weapon on school property ( r =0.27), being a victim of stolen or damaged goods on school property ( r =0.14), not attending school owing to fear ( r =0.15), and substance use while at school, including smoking cigarettes ( r =0.20), using chewing tobacco ( r =0.18), smoking marijuana ( r =0.24), and using alcohol ( r =0.29). The association between Weapon Carrying and alcohol use in school was higher among students who were afraid to come to school ( r =0.49) than among students who were not afraid ( r =0.28). Students who had engaged in same-sex sexual activity ( P P Conclusions: Weapon Carrying at school was more strongly associated more with use of violence and the use of substances at school than with previous victimization and fear of attending school. However, there is a subgroup of students that seems to have been victimized at school, is afraid to come to school, is using alcohol at school, and is Carrying Weapons at school. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:360-366
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adolescent Weapon Carrying on school property 6
Pediatric Research, 1996Co-Authors: R H Durant, Jessica A Kahn, Patricia Hayden Beckford, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between Weapon Carrying and victimization on school property, fear of attending school and the co-occurance of other risk and problem behaviors on school property. The association between academic achievement, participating in school sports and same-gender sexual behavior and Weapon Carrying at school was also examined.
Paul Boxer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Gun Laws and Youth Gun Carrying: Results from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2005–2017
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2021Co-Authors: John F. Gunn, Paul BoxerAbstract:Youth who carry guns are at increased risk of violence and premature death—but what impact firearm legislation plays in deterring this behavior is less known. The present study aims to fill this gap by exploring the associations between state gun laws and youth gun Carrying behavior using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). This work builds on previous research but expands it by considering a greater number of years than previous work and using an academic, as opposed to an advocacy-based, gun law coding system. Two models were assessed using generalized estimating equations (GEE): (1) youth gun Carrying, (2) youth Weapon Carrying at school (e.g., guns, knives, clubs). The sample for Model 1 included data for 20 of the 50 U.S. states with 1 state from the northeast, 4 from the midwest, 10 from the south, and 5 from the west. The sample for Model 2 included 33 of the 50 U.S. states with 3 states from the northeast, 9 from the midwest, 12 from the south, and 9 from the west. Data for each state across the 2005-2017 YRBSS biennial surveys were included in the analysis. For youth gun Carrying and overall Weapon Carrying, the total gun regulation index was a significant predictor with lower gun regulation index scores associated with greater youth gun and Weapon Carrying behavior. The present study points to the potential of gun laws in reducing youth gun Carrying behavior. States with more gun laws had fewer youth reporting gun-Carrying behavior.
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gun laws and youth gun Carrying results from the youth risk behavior surveillance system 2005 2017
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2021Co-Authors: John F. Gunn, Paul BoxerAbstract:Youth who carry guns are at increased risk of violence and premature death-but what impact firearm legislation plays in deterring this behavior is less known. The present study aims to fill this gap by exploring the associations between state gun laws and youth gun Carrying behavior using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). This work builds on previous research but expands it by considering a greater number of years than previous work and using an academic, as opposed to an advocacy-based, gun law coding system. Two models were assessed using generalized estimating equations (GEE): (1) youth gun Carrying, (2) youth Weapon Carrying at school (e.g., guns, knives, clubs). The sample for Model 1 included data for 20 of the 50 U.S. states with 1 state from the northeast, 4 from the midwest, 10 from the south, and 5 from the west. The sample for Model 2 included 33 of the 50 U.S. states with 3 states from the northeast, 9 from the midwest, 12 from the south, and 9 from the west. Data for each state across the 2005-2017 YRBSS biennial surveys were included in the analysis. For youth gun Carrying and overall Weapon Carrying, the total gun regulation index was a significant predictor with lower gun regulation index scores associated with greater youth gun and Weapon Carrying behavior. The present study points to the potential of gun laws in reducing youth gun Carrying behavior. States with more gun laws had fewer youth reporting gun-Carrying behavior.
Elizabeth R Woods - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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violence and Weapon Carrying in music videos a content analysis
JAMA Pediatrics, 1997Co-Authors: R H Durant, Michael Rich, S J Emans, Ellen S Rome, Elizabeth N Allred, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:Background: The positive portrayal of violence and Weapon Carrying in televised music videos is thought to have a considerable influence on the normative expectations of adolescents about these behaviors. Objectives: To perform a content analysis of the depictions of violence and Weapon Carrying in music videos, including 5 genres of music (rock, rap, adult contemporary, rhythm and blues, and country), from 4 television networks and to analyze the degree of sexuality or eroticism portrayed in each video and its association with violence and Weapon Carrying, as an indicator of the desirability of violent behaviors. Methods: Five hundred eighteen videos were recorded during randomly selected days and times of the day from the Music Television, Video Hits One, Black Entertainment Television, and Country Music Television networks. Four female and 4 male observaers aged 17 to 24 years were trained to use a standardized content analysis instrument. Interobserver reliability testing resulted in a mean (±SD) percentage agreement of 89.25%±7.10% and a mean (±SD) κ of 0.73±0.20. All videos were observed by rotating 2-person, male-female teams that were required to reach agreement on each behavior that was scored. Music genre and network differences in behaviors were analyzed with χ2tests. Results: A higher percentage (22.4%) of Music Television videos portrayed overt violence than Video Hits One (11.8%), Country Music Television (11.8%), and Black Entertainment Television (11.5%) videos (P=.02). Rap (20.4%) had the highest portrayal of violence, followed by rock (19.8%), country (10.8%), adult contemporary (9.7%), and rhythm and blues (5.9%) (P=.006). Weapon Carrying was higher on Music Television (25.0%) than on Black Entertainment Television (11.5%), Video Hits One (8.4%), and Country Music Television (6.9%) (P Conclusion: Because most music videos are between 3 and 4 minutes long, these data indicate that even modest levels of viewing may result in substantial exposure to violence and Weapon Carrying, which is glamorized by music artists, actors, and actresses. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:443-448
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the association of Weapon Carrying and fighting on school property and other health risk and problem behaviors among high school students
JAMA Pediatrics, 1997Co-Authors: R H Durant, Jessica A Kahn, Patricia Hayden Beckford, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:Objective: To examine the association between Weapon Carrying on school property and engaging in health risk and problem behaviors such as fighting and substance use on school property, fear of attending school, and victimization at school. Design: A complex 2-stage probability survey (Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey). Setting: High schools in Massachusetts. Participants: Three thousand fifty-four high school students. Main Outcome Measure: Number of days a Weapon was carried on school property during the 30 days prior to the survey. Results: The prevalence of self-reported Weapon Carrying on school property was 15% among male students and 5% among female students ( P P r =0.26), being a victim of threat or injury with a Weapon on school property ( r =0.27), being a victim of stolen or damaged goods on school property ( r =0.14), not attending school owing to fear ( r =0.15), and substance use while at school, including smoking cigarettes ( r =0.20), using chewing tobacco ( r =0.18), smoking marijuana ( r =0.24), and using alcohol ( r =0.29). The association between Weapon Carrying and alcohol use in school was higher among students who were afraid to come to school ( r =0.49) than among students who were not afraid ( r =0.28). Students who had engaged in same-sex sexual activity ( P P Conclusions: Weapon Carrying at school was more strongly associated more with use of violence and the use of substances at school than with previous victimization and fear of attending school. However, there is a subgroup of students that seems to have been victimized at school, is afraid to come to school, is using alcohol at school, and is Carrying Weapons at school. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:360-366
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adolescent Weapon Carrying on school property 6
Pediatric Research, 1996Co-Authors: R H Durant, Jessica A Kahn, Patricia Hayden Beckford, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between Weapon Carrying and victimization on school property, fear of attending school and the co-occurance of other risk and problem behaviors on school property. The association between academic achievement, participating in school sports and same-gender sexual behavior and Weapon Carrying at school was also examined.
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the association between Weapon Carrying and the use of violence among adolescents living in and around public housing
Journal of Adolescent Health, 1995Co-Authors: R H Durant, Alan Getts, Chris Cadenhead, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:Purpose: To test the hypothesis that adolescents who carry lethal Weapons are more likely to engage in violent behavior than adolescents who do not carry Weapons. Design: Cross-sectional Survey. Subjects: Black adolescents ( N = 225) from a lower socioeconomic (SES) background living in or around nine Housing and Urban Development housing projects. Measurements: An anonymous questionnaire containing scales from the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Self-Reported Delinquency Questionnaire was administered. Data were analyzed with Spearman rho correlation coefficients ( r ), followed by partial correlation coefficients controlling for age and gender. Results: Thirty-five percent of males and 16% of females reported Carrying a Weapon during the previous 30 days. Frequency of Weapon-Carrying was correlated ( r = .33, p ≤ 0.0001) with the frequency of physical fights in the last month, but the relationship was stronger among males than females. Weapon-Carrying was also associated ( r = .20, p ≤ 0.003) with frequency of receiving a serious injury during a fight and the frequency of attacking someone with a Weapon with the idea of seriously hurting or killing them ( r = .48, p ≤ 0.0001). Although males were more likely to carry a hidden Weapon than females, the frequency of Weapon-Carrying was more highly correlated with the frequency of Carrying a hidden Weapon by females ( r = .63, p ≤ 0.0001) than males ( r = .49, p ≤ 0.0001). Females who carried Weapons were more likely than males to be involved in gang fights. Among males ( r = .27, p ≤ 0.008), frequency of Weapon-Carrying was correlated with frequency of attacking someone with whom they lived. This was not so among females ( r = .02). Conclusion: These data support the hypothesis that the lower SES black adolescents in this sample who carried Weapons were more likely to engage in violent behaviors than those who did not carry Weapons.
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the association between Weapon Carrying and the use of violence among adolescents living in or around public housing
Journal of Adolescence, 1995Co-Authors: R H Durant, Alan Getts, Chris Cadenhead, Elizabeth R WoodsAbstract:The study examined social and psychological factors associated with the frequency of Weapon-Carrying by Black adolescents living in a community where there is extensive poverty and a high level of violent crime. Using a cross-sectional anonymous survey design adolescents (N=225; males=44%) ages 11 to 19 years living in or around nine HUD housing projects in Augusta, Georgia were administered an anonymous questionnaire. The dependent variables were the number of days that a Weapon, such as a gun, knife, or club was carried in the previous 30 days and the frequency that a hidden Weapon was carried in the last year. Carrying a Weapon during the previous 30 days was significantly (p<0·05) associated with previous exposure to violence and victimization, age, corporal punishment scale, depression, family conflict, purpose in life, and the self-appraised probability of being alive at age 25, and was higher among males. Based on multiple regression analysis, previous exposure and victimization to violence, gender, age, and self-appraised probability of being alive at age 25 explained 17 per cent of the variation in frequency of Weapon-Carrying. The exposure to violence and victimization scale, school grade, and probability of being alive at age 25 explained 12·1 per cent of the variation in frequency of Carrying a hidden Weapon in the last year. The two indicators of Weapon-Carrying were not associated with family structure, religious behavior, or any other demographic variable.
John F. Gunn - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Gun Laws and Youth Gun Carrying: Results from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2005–2017
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2021Co-Authors: John F. Gunn, Paul BoxerAbstract:Youth who carry guns are at increased risk of violence and premature death—but what impact firearm legislation plays in deterring this behavior is less known. The present study aims to fill this gap by exploring the associations between state gun laws and youth gun Carrying behavior using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). This work builds on previous research but expands it by considering a greater number of years than previous work and using an academic, as opposed to an advocacy-based, gun law coding system. Two models were assessed using generalized estimating equations (GEE): (1) youth gun Carrying, (2) youth Weapon Carrying at school (e.g., guns, knives, clubs). The sample for Model 1 included data for 20 of the 50 U.S. states with 1 state from the northeast, 4 from the midwest, 10 from the south, and 5 from the west. The sample for Model 2 included 33 of the 50 U.S. states with 3 states from the northeast, 9 from the midwest, 12 from the south, and 9 from the west. Data for each state across the 2005-2017 YRBSS biennial surveys were included in the analysis. For youth gun Carrying and overall Weapon Carrying, the total gun regulation index was a significant predictor with lower gun regulation index scores associated with greater youth gun and Weapon Carrying behavior. The present study points to the potential of gun laws in reducing youth gun Carrying behavior. States with more gun laws had fewer youth reporting gun-Carrying behavior.
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gun laws and youth gun Carrying results from the youth risk behavior surveillance system 2005 2017
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2021Co-Authors: John F. Gunn, Paul BoxerAbstract:Youth who carry guns are at increased risk of violence and premature death-but what impact firearm legislation plays in deterring this behavior is less known. The present study aims to fill this gap by exploring the associations between state gun laws and youth gun Carrying behavior using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). This work builds on previous research but expands it by considering a greater number of years than previous work and using an academic, as opposed to an advocacy-based, gun law coding system. Two models were assessed using generalized estimating equations (GEE): (1) youth gun Carrying, (2) youth Weapon Carrying at school (e.g., guns, knives, clubs). The sample for Model 1 included data for 20 of the 50 U.S. states with 1 state from the northeast, 4 from the midwest, 10 from the south, and 5 from the west. The sample for Model 2 included 33 of the 50 U.S. states with 3 states from the northeast, 9 from the midwest, 12 from the south, and 9 from the west. Data for each state across the 2005-2017 YRBSS biennial surveys were included in the analysis. For youth gun Carrying and overall Weapon Carrying, the total gun regulation index was a significant predictor with lower gun regulation index scores associated with greater youth gun and Weapon Carrying behavior. The present study points to the potential of gun laws in reducing youth gun Carrying behavior. States with more gun laws had fewer youth reporting gun-Carrying behavior.
William Pickett - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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bullying as a mediator of relationships between adiposity status and Weapon Carrying
International Journal of Public Health, 2012Co-Authors: Atif Kukaswadia, William Pickett, Wendy M Craig, Ian JanssenAbstract:Objectives Although evidence links increased adiposity status with bullying involvement, it is unknown whether this leads to behaviors such as Weapon Carrying. The purpose of this study was to: (1) analyze relationships between adiposity status and risks for Weapon Carrying among Canadian school children, and (2) whether this relationship was mediated by reports of bullying.
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cross national study of fighting and Weapon Carrying as determinants of adolescent injury
Pediatrics, 2005Co-Authors: William Pickett, Wendy M Craig, Yossi Harel, John Cunningham, Kelly Simpson, Michal Molcho, Joanna Mazur, Suzanne M Dostaler, Mary D Overpeck, Candace CurrieAbstract:OBJECTIVES: We sought to (1) compare estimates of the prevalence of fighting and Weapon Carrying among adolescent boys and girls in North American and European countries and (2) assess in adolescents from a subgroup of these countries comparative rates of Weapon Carrying and characteristics of fighting and injury outcomes, with a determination of the association between these indicators of violence and the occurrence of medically treated injury. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional self-report surveys using 120 questions were obtained from nationally representative samples of 161082 students in 35 countries. In addition, optional factors were assessed within individual countries: characteristics of fighting (9 countries); characteristics of Weapon Carrying (7 countries); and medically treated injury (8 countries). PARTICIPANTS: Participants included all consenting students in sampled classrooms (average age: 11-15 years). MEASURES: The primary measures assessed included involvement in physical fights and the types of people involved; frequency and types of Weapon Carrying; and frequency and types of medically treated injury. RESULTS: Involvement in fighting varied across countries, ranging from 37% to 69% of the boys and 13% to 32% of the girls. Adolescents most often reported fighting with friends or relatives. Among adolescents reporting fights, fighting with total strangers varied from 16% to 53% of the boys and 5% to 16% of the girls. Involvement in Weapon Carrying ranged from 10% to 21% of the boys and 2% to 5% of the girls. Among youth reporting Weapon Carrying, those Carrying handguns or other firearms ranged from 7% to 22% of the boys and 3% to 11% of the girls. In nearly all reporting countries, both physical fighting and Weapon Carrying were significantly associated with elevated risks for medically treated, multiple, and hospitalized injury events. CONCLUSIONS: Fighting and Weapon Carrying are 2 common indicators of physical violence that are experienced by young people. Associations of fighting and Weapon Carrying with injury-related health outcomes are remarkably similar across countries. Violence is an important issue affecting the health of adolescents internationally.
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a cross national study of violence related behaviors in adolescents
JAMA Pediatrics, 2004Co-Authors: Eleanor Smithkhuri, William Pickett, Mary D Overpeck, Peter C Scheidt, Ronaldo Iachan, Saoirse Nic Gabhainn, Yossi HarelAbstract:Background: Violent behavior among adolescents is a significantproblemworldwide,andacross-nationalcomparison of adolescent violent behaviors can provide information about the development and pattern of physical violence in young adolescents. Objectives: To determine and compare frequencies of adolescent violence-related behaviors in 5 countries and toexamineassociationsbetweenviolence-relatedbehaviors and potential explanatory characteristics. Design, Setting, and Participants: Crosssectional, school-based nationally representative survey at ages 11.5, 13.5, and 15.5 years in 5 countries (Ireland, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, and the United States). Main Outcome Measures:Frequency of physical fighting, bullying, Weapon Carrying, and fighting injuries in relationtootherriskbehaviorsandcharacteristicsinhome and school settings. Results:Fighting frequency among US youth was similartothatofall5countries(nonfighters:US,60.2%;mean frequency of 5 countries, 60.2%), as were the frequencies of Weapon Carrying (noncarriers: US, 89.6%; mean frequencyof5countries,89.6%)andfightinginjury(noninjured: US, 84.5%; mean frequency of 5 countries, 84.6%). Bullying frequency varied widely crossnationally (nonbullies: from 57.0% for Israel to 85.2% for Sweden). Fighting was most highly associated with smoking,drinking,feelingirritableorbadtempered,and having been bullied. Conclusions:Adolescents in 5 countries behaved similarlyintheirexpressionofviolence-relatedbehaviors.Occasionalfightingandbullyingwerecommon,whereasfrequent fighting, frequent bullying, any Weapon Carrying, or any fighting injury were infrequent behaviors. These findingswereconsistentacrosscountries,withlittlecrossnational variation except for bullying rates. Traditional risk-taking behaviors (smoking and drinking) and being bullied were highly associated with the expression of violence-related behavior. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158:539-544
