Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Prevalence and correlates of victimization and weapon carrying among military- and nonmilitary-connected youth in Southern California.
Journal Name
Preventive Medicine
Journal Volume
60
Page Numbers
21-26
DOI
10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.12.002
Summary
Military-connected and nonmilitary-connected public school students participated in a study examining the rates and correlates of school victimization and weapon carrying. Youth with a military-connected parent had higher rates of physical victimization, nonphysical victimization, and weapon carrying compared to those with siblings serving in the military and with nonmilitary-connected youth.
Key Findings
Almost half of the sample reported some type of physical victimization at school in the previous year, including 30% being pushed/shoved, 26% had property stolen, 28% had seen someone with a weapon, and 20% were afraid of being attacked.
Approximately 62% reported some type of nonphysical victimization, with 46% reporting sexual jokes/gestures, 41% had rumors spread, 39% were made fun of for their appearance, and 22% had rumors spread on the internet.
Students with parents and siblings in the military had higher rates on all physical victimization measures, overall nonphysical victimization, and any weapon carrying compared to those without a parent or sibling in the military.
Number of deployments and changing school many times predicted physical and nonphysical victimization and weapon carrying. Two or more family deployments was associated with a 71% increase in the odds of reporting physical victimization and a 54% increase in weapon carrying. Having a parent in the military was associated with increased odds of weapon carrying by 29%.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide education to military parents about the increased risks of physical and nonphysical victimization among their children and effective means of helping their children manage these stressors
Offer mentoring programs to military youth strugging with victimization issues in school
Disseminate information to military youth regarding ways to deal with victimization in school
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs that aim to prevent bullying in school, specifically towards military youth
Encourage collaboration between military family programs and schools to identify students who are being victimized and to offer supportive services when appropriate
Encourage the development of youth support groups for military youth coping with bullying victimization at school or within their neighborhoods
Methods
Data were taken from the California Healthy Kids Survey of 7th, 9th and 11th graders in six military-connected districts in Southern California.
Students and parents were asked to consent, and interested students completed a paper and pencil survey during class; 87% of students completed the survey.
Students completed demographic questions and measures of being the victim of school physical violence, non-physical victimization, and weapon carrying at school (gun or knife).
Participants
Fourteen thousand five hundred twelve students in Southern California (7th, 9th, and 11th grade) participated.
Thirty-five percent were in 9th grade, 33% in 7th grade, and 32% in 11th grade.
Eighty-seven percent of the youth reported no military connection; 9% had a parent in the military and 4% had a sibling in the military.
The majority of the sample was female (52%) and Latino/Latina (49%).
Limitations
The data are cross-sectional, and causal conclusions are inappropriate.
Important possible confounding variables (e.g., socioeconomic status) were not included and may bias the results.
The majority of the sample was female and Latino/Latina; therefore, results may not be generalizable.
Avenues for Future Research
Assess the risk factors that mediate the relationship between victimization and weapon carrying
Include assessment of family members to measure how their attitudes and behaviors influence weapon carrying
Continue to examine rates of victimization amoung military and non-military youth, including online victimization
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Objectives: The present analysis sought to explore the normative rates and correlates of school victimization and weapon carrying among military-connected and nonmilitary-connected youth in public schools in Southern California. Methods: Data are from a sub-sample of the 2011 California Healthy Kids Survey (N = 14,512). Items to assess victimization and weapon carrying were separated into three categories: physical acts (e.g., being pushed or shoved), nonphysical acts (e.g., having rumors spread about them) and weapon carrying. Results: The bivariate results indicate that youth with a military-connected parent had higher rates of physical victimization (56.8%), nonphysical victimization (68.1%), and weapon carrying (14.4%) compared to those with siblings serving (55.2%, 65.2%, and 11.4%, respectively) and nonmilitary-connected (50.3%, 61.6%, and 8.9%, respectively) youth. Having a parent in the military increased the odds of weapon carrying by 29% (Odds Ratio = 1.29, 95% confidence interval = 1.02-1.65). Changing schools and a larger number of family member deployments in the past 10 years were associated with significant increases in the likelihood of victimization and weapon carrying. Conclusions: The results of this analysis warrant a focus on school supports for youth experiencing parental military service, multiple relocations and deployments of a family member.
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