Episodic and persistent gun-carrying among urban African-American adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether similar risk factors influenced episodic and persistent gun-carrying among urban African-American adolescents.


METHODS
The sample consisted of 705 African-American youths (48.9% male; mean age at baseline = 14.56 years) who were interviewed annually throughout high school as part of a larger study on students who leave school before graduation. Episodic gun-carrying was defined as carrying a gun during one or two waves of the study. Persistent gun-carrying involved carrying a gun during three or four waves. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression to test how risk factors assessed at ninth grade influenced the persistence of gun-carrying.


RESULTS
Fifteen percent of students reported carrying a gun episodically, and 5% persistently. "Male gender" (OR = 3.61, 95% CI = 2.16-6.04), "adult weapon-carrying" (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.20-2.09), "marijuana use" (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.06), "selling drugs" (OR = 3.24, 95% CI = 1.52-6.92), and "fighting" (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.14-2.15) distinguished noncarriers from episodic carriers. Frequency of fighting (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.00-2.57) and selling drugs (OR = 3.29, 95% CI = 1.16-9.35) distinguished episodic gun-carriers from persistent gun-carriers. Variables associated with victimization did not uniquely differentiate among the patterns of gun-carrying. These results were similar for males and females.


CONCLUSIONS
Similar risk factors characterize episodic and persistent gun-carrying. Specifically, selling drugs and fighting had a strong dose-response relationship with the persistence of gun-carrying. In this population, episodic gun-carrying should be viewed as very risky and not merely as youthful experimentation or a defensive behavior.
Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, the Ohio State University School of Public Health, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1240, USA. steinman.13@osu.edu
Kenneth J
KJ
Steinman
Marc A
MA
Zimmerman
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D035841:Behavioral Research; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology