title: Protective factors associated with preadolescent violence: preliminary work on a cultural model.
abstract: This study explores the influences of communal values, empathy, violence avoidance self-efficacy beliefs, and classmates' fighting on violent behaviors among urban African American preadolescent boys and girls. As part of a larger intervention study, 644 low-income 5th grade students from 12 schools completed a baseline assessment that included the target constructs. Boys reported more violent behaviors, and lower levels of empathy and violence avoidance self-efficacy beliefs than girls. Path analyses revealed that, after controlling for the positive contributions of classmates' fighting, violence avoidance self-efficacy beliefs were a negative predictor of violent behavior. Communal values had a direct negative relationship with violence for boys, but not girls. Both communal values and empathy were associated with less violent behavior through positive relationships with violence avoidance self-efficacy beliefs. For girls, classmate fighting had an indirect positive association with violent behavior through its negative relationship with violence avoidance self-efficacy beliefs. Findings are discussed in terms of implications of basic and applied research on violence among African American youth.
authors.affiliation: Prevention Science Research Center, Morgan State University, 2201 Argonne Drive, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. rjagers@jewel.morgan.edu
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Jagers
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sydnor
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mouttapa
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Flay
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D011203:Poverty; D020377:Self Efficacy; D014505:Urban Population; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*