OBJECTIVES:
To examine, in a large, nationally representative sample of high school
students, the association between bullying victimization and carrying
weapons to school and to determine to what extent past experience of 1,
2, or 3 additional indicators of peer aggression increases the
likelihood of weapon carrying by victims of bullying (VoBs).
RESULTS:
When surveyed, 20.2% of students reported being a VoB in the past year,
and 4.1% reported carrying a weapon to school in the past month. VoBs
experiencing 1, 2, or 3 additional risk factors were successively more
likely to carry weapons to school. The subset of VoBs who experienced
all 3 additional adverse experiences were more likely to carry weapons
to school compared with nonvictims (46.4% vs 2.5%, P < .001).
METHODS: National data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed for grades 9 to 12 (N
= 15 624). VoB groups were determined by self-report of being bullied
at school and additional adverse experiences: fighting at school, being
threatened or injured at school, and skipping school out of fear for
one’s safety. Weapon carrying was measured by a dichotomized (ie, ≥1 vs
0) report of carrying a gun, knife, or club on school property. VoB
groups were compared with nonvictims with respect to weapon carrying by
logistic regression adjusting for sex, grade, and race/ethnicity.
What’s Known on This Subject:
The
issues of school violence and peer bullying continue to pose serious
threats to the well-being of children and adolescents. Past researchers
have shown that victims of bullying are at increased risk of weapon
carrying.
What This Study Adds:
Victims
of bullying who experienced 1, 2, or 3 additional risk factors
(fighting at school, being threatened or injured at school, and/or
skipping school out of fear for their safety) were successively more
likely to carry weapons at school.
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