Exposure to violence and victimization, depression, substance use, and the use of violence by young adolescents

• Published in: The Journal of pediatrics Vol. 137; no. 5; pp. 707 - 713
• Main Authors: DuRant, Robert H., Altman, David, Wolfson, Mark, Barkin, Shari, Kreiter, Shelley, Krowchuk, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01-11-2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Crime Victims - psychology; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Depression; Female; Georgia; Humans; Linear Models; Male; Medical sciences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Religion; Risk Factors; Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency; Socioeconomic Factors; Substance-Related Disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires; Violence - psychology; Violence - statistics & numerical data; United States; North America; America; Georgia; Human; Drug addiction; Violence; Use; Depression; Exposure; Victimology; Preadolescent; Child abuse; Adolescent; Risk factor; Fire arm; Social behavior disorder
• ISSN: 0022-3476; 1097-6833
• DOI: 10.1067/mpd.2000.109146

Objective: To examine the relationships among exposure to violence; tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use; depression; church attendance; and the use of violence among very young adolescents. Methods: 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. (J Pediatr 2000;137:707-13)