Victims of gun shootings. A retrospective study of 36 spinal cord injured adolescents.
Interpersonal violence with a handgun is the primary cause of spinal cord injuries (SCI) among teenagers in the population served by the Southeastern Michigan Spinal Cord Injury System (SEMSCIS). As part of a community-wide effort to reduce the injury and death rate from acts of violence, SEMSCIS selected the victim, rather than the perpetrator or the sociocultural environment, as its segment of a prevention program. A retrospective study of demographic data, causal statements, medical information from the medical records of 36 injured adolescents, and telephone conversations with the victims identified "risk taking" as the pre-event behavior that had made them vulnerable to violence. This study led to the production of a powerful video, "Wasted Dreams," in which disabled teenagers tell their peers about their injury and how to avoid becoming a victim.
Graham
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PM
Southeastern Michigan Spinal Cord Injury System Rehabilitation Institute, Detroit 48201.
Weingarden
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SI
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012621:Seasons; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014754:Violence; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*