title: Gendered Perceptions of Drugs, Aggression, and Violence.
abstract: Drug use has been linked empirically with aggression and violence among youth in national and State of Hawai'i samples. In addition, aggression and violence appear to be gendered experiences perceived differently by girls and boys. This article explores the intersection of drug offers/drug refusals with aggression and violence with specific attention paid to gendered perceptions of drug use situations as a context for aggression and violence. A qualitative study, in which 14 sex-specific focus group discussions were held, focused on rural Native Hawaiian middle school students ( N = 64). Students were asked to discuss drug refusal strategies in a variety of drug offer contexts. Feminist theories and approaches were used to examine the role of aggression and violence in drug refusal as perceived by Native Hawaiian girls as compared with boys. Girls and boys differed in their perceptions of aggression and violence in drug offer situations, initially as evidenced by the extent to which the girl groups focused on the intersection of drugs and violence. Furthermore, qualitative analyses reflected gender norms and stereotypes about aggression and violence perpetration, and girls' apparently unique concerns about sexual violence victimization. Implications are discussed in terms of prevention research and practice, specifically in terms of school-based prevention curricula.
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Helm
authors.affiliation: 2 Hawai'i Pacific University, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Scott K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Okamoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: aggression and violence; drug offers and drug refusal; qualitative analysis; rural Native Hawaiian youth