Violence and minority youth: the effects of risk and asset factors on fighting among African American children and adolescents.
This cross-sectional study examined risk and asset factors thought to be associated with fighting among a sample of 1,642 African American children and adolescents in a central Alabama school district. Results show that poor grades, parental abuse, and gang affiliation were significant risk factors associated with higher frequency of fighting. Results also show that parental monitoring and being happy at school were associated with lower frequency of fighting, suggesting the importance of continued support for outreach to parents and further efforts to reduce or eliminate the community factors that promote proliferation of gangs. Programs, either for an entire community or a school system within a community, must be sensitive to the specific risks, assets, and outcomes of that environment so that prevention and intervention are sensitive to cultural, environmental, and demographic distinctions in target populations.
Wright
Darlene R
DR
Division of Behavioral and Social Science, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama 35254, USA. dwright@bsc.edu
Fitzpatrick
Kevin M
KM
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000407:Alabama; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology