Violent adolescents and their educational environment: a multilevel analysis.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_CD8911D9A0AD
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Violent adolescents and their educational environment: a multilevel analysis.
Journal
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Author(s)
Thurnherr J., Berchtold A., Michaud P.A., Akre C., Suris J.C.
ISSN
1536-7312[electronic]
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2008
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
29
Number
5
Pages
351-359
Language
english
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the respective roles of personal and environmental factors in youth violence in a nationally representative sample of 7548 postmandatory school students and apprentices ages 16-20 years in Switzerland. METHODS: Youth violence was defined as having committed at least one of the following in the previous 12 months: attacking an adult, snatching something, carrying a weapon, or using a weapon in a fight. Different ecological levels were tested, resulting in a three-level model only in males (individual, classroom, and school) as the low prevalence of female violence did not allow for a multilevel analysis. Dependent variables were attributed to each level. For males, the classroom level (10%) and the school level (24%) accounted for more than one third in interindividual variance. RESULTS: Factors associated with violence perpetration in females were being a victim of physical violence and sensation seeking at the individual level. In males, practicing unsafe sex, sensation seeking, being a victim of physical violence, having a poor relationship with parents, being depressed, and living in a single-parent household at the individual level; violence and antisocial acts at the classroom level; and being in a vocational school at the school level showed a correlation with violence perpetration. CONCLUSION: Interventions at the classroom level as well as an explicit school policy on violence and other risk behaviors should be considered a priority when dealing with the problem of youth violence. Furthermore, prevention should take into account gender differences.
Keywords
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior/psychology, Adolescent Psychology, Crime Victims/psychology, Dangerous Behavior, Female, Humans, Individuality, Male, Parent-Child Relations, Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Schools/standards, Sex Factors, Sexual Behavior/psychology, Single-Parent Family/psychology, Social Environment, Switzerland, Violence/psychology, Young Adult
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
22/01/2009 12:06
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:48
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