Summary: Researchers report that, contrary to common belief, youth violence in the United States has declined significantly over the past decade.
Source: Boston University.
Positive trends reported in the American Journal of Public Health.
A new study led by Boston University professor Christopher P. Salas-Wright finds that youth involvement in violent behavior has fallen substantially in recent years. Drawing on nationally representative data, the research shows a marked reduction in fighting and other violent behaviors among adolescents aged 12–17 between 2002 and 2014.
The study, titled “Trends in Fighting and Violence Among Adolescents in the United States: Evidence From the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002–2014,” reports a 29% relative decline in the proportion of young people involved in violent behavior during the study period. According to the authors, the prevalence of fighting and violence peaked at 33.6% in 2003 and dropped to 23.7% by 2014.
“There is often the sense that teenagers are out of control and that things are always getting worse,” Salas-Wright said. “However, our study makes clear that, over the last 10 to 15 years, we have seen a meaningful decrease in the number of adolescents involved in fighting and violence.”
Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the team examined three measures of youth violence: individual fighting, group fighting, and attacks carried out with intent to harm. The study’s population-based approach allowed the researchers to produce reliable estimates for the three largest racial and ethnic groups in the United States and to track changes over time.
The overall trend is encouraging: fighting and violent incidents among youth declined steadily across the study period. Despite the general downward pattern, the researchers emphasize that disparities across racial and ethnic groups remain persistent. Throughout the years analyzed, non-Hispanic African American adolescents consistently showed the highest rates of fighting and violence, followed by Hispanic youth and then non-Hispanic white youth.
“Overall, these findings represent good news,” Salas-Wright noted. “However, while violence decreased among youth from all racial and ethnic groups, we see clear evidence that African-American and Hispanic youth continue to be disproportionately impacted by violence.”
Co-authors of the paper include Erik J. Nelson (Indiana University), Michael G. Vaughn (Saint Louis University), Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez (University of Texas), and David Córdova (University of Michigan). The authors situate their findings within a larger body of research showing declines in various risk behaviors among American adolescents, while stressing that continued attention to prevention is still needed.
“While we are seeing noteworthy decreases in violence and other risky behaviors among youth, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that these problems persist,” Vaughn said. “There is still much work to be done.”
Based on the observed trends, the research team underscores the importance of ongoing development and wider dissemination of evidence-based prevention programs and interventions. Such efforts aim not only to reduce youth violence further but also to address other problem behaviors and the systemic factors that contribute to unequal risk across groups.
Source: Rebecca Grossfield, Boston University
Image Source: Illustrative image used with permission for reporting purposes.
Original Research: “Trends in Fighting and Violence Among Adolescents in the United States: Evidence From the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002–2014” by Christopher P. Salas-Wright, Erik J. Nelson, Michael G. Vaughn, Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez, and David Córdova. Published online April 20, 2017 in the American Journal of Public Health. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303743
Boston University. “Youth Violence on Decline.” NeuroscienceNews. Published April 26, 2017.
Abstract
Trends in Fighting and Violence Among Adolescents in the United States: Evidence From the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002–2014
Objectives. To examine trends in and correlates of fighting and violence among youths from the three largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States.
Methods. Race- and ethnicity-specific prevalence estimates for fighting, group fighting, and attacks with intent to harm were derived from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a population-based study of youths aged 12 to 17 years.
Results. The prevalence of youth fighting and violence decreased significantly in all racial/ethnic groups over the study period (2002–2014), dropping from a high of 33.6% in 2003 to a low of 23.7% in 2014, a 29% relative decrease. Despite these declines, year-by-year estimates were consistently highest among non-Hispanic African American youths, followed by Hispanic youths and then non-Hispanic white youths.
Conclusions. Fighting and violence among adolescents have declined overall and across racial/ethnic subgroups; however, a persistent pattern of disparities remains, highlighting the need for targeted prevention and intervention strategies.
“Trends in Fighting and Violence Among Adolescents in the United States: Evidence From the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002–2014” by Christopher P. Salas-Wright et al., American Journal of Public Health. Published online April 20, 2017. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303743