Abstract
This study explored the relative importance of family, peers and school in predicting youth violence. The analysis was done on a nationally representative sample included 8,394 students from grade 6th-10th in Israel. Measures of youth violence included bullying, physical fights and weapon carrying. The findings suggested that all three social systems had significant relations with youth violence, respectively. Variables found to predict violence were: Family- lack of parental support regarding school; Peers- Lack of social integration or too many evenings out with friends; School-feeling of school alienation, low academic achievement and perceptions of frequent acts of violence in school. School perceptions had the strongest predicting power. Findings emphasized the importance of focusing on improving the daily school experience in reducing youth violence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 235-244 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2003 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Both authors have contributed equally to the development of this manuscript and would like to thank David Rayer, PhD for his helpful comments on earlier drafts. This study was supported in part by a fellowship from the Bar-Han University Presidents office.
Keywords
- Adolescence
- Bullying
- Israel
- Physical fights
- School climate
- Social support
- Violence
- Weapon carrying
