 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Holly S. Ruch-Ross, ScD, Research & Evaluation Consultant, 9345 Avers Ave, Evanston, IL 60203, 847 673 1403, hruchross@aol.com, Jenifer Cartland, PhD, Child Health Data Lab, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children's Plaza, Box 157, Chicago, IL 60614, and Suzanne Greene McLone, MPH, Child Health Data Lab, Children's Memorial Medical Center, 2300 Children's Plaza, Box 157, Chicago, IL 60614.
To examine variations in youth aggression and victimization, we utilized student survey data collected by the Evaluation of the Safe to Learn Demonstration Project. The sample consists of students in grades 2 (n=961), 5 (n=971), 8(n=877), and 11 (n=605) in five communities in Illinois. Self-reported victimization was assessed using a 13 item scale (alpha=.88) for older students and an 8 item scale (alpha=.80) for the second graders. Aggression was assessed using a 4 item measure (alpha=.76,.80). Aggression and victimization were significantly correlated, with correlations ranging from .29 to .34 among the different age groups. Victimization and aggression also differed significantly by grade, declining as grade increased. Males reported significantly higher levels of victimization (6.8 vs. 5.7 for females on the 26 point scale, p<.001) for grades 5, 8 and 11, but this difference was not observed among second graders. Males of all ages reported significantly higher levels of aggression (2.2 vs. 1.6 on the 8 point scale, p<.001) than females. Victimization varied significantly by site for grades 5, 8 and 11, with mean victimization scores of 7.0, 6.3 and 5.8 for rural, urban and mid-size sites, respectively (p<.05). Differences on self-reported aggression were also significant, but the pattern was different, with urban students reporting the highest levels (p<.001). In a multiple regression model, aggression, grade, gender and site remained significant predictors of victimization for older students, controlling for all of the others, with an overall R2=.13 (p<.001). Among second graders, only aggression was significantly predictive of victimization (R2=.12, p<.001).
Learning Objectives: After participation in this session, the participant will be able to
Keywords: Youth, Violence Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.