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A Cross-national Study of Violence-Related Behaviors in Adolescents

June 2004—

“Violent behavior among adolescents is a significant problem worldwide, and a cross-national comparison of adolescent violent behaviors can provide information about the development and pattern of physical violence in young adolescents. Smith-Khuri and colleagues examined frequencies of adolescent violence-related behaviors in 5 countries and associations between violence-related behaviors and potential explanatory characteristics.”

“A significant body of information currently exists describing violent behavior in the adolescent population of the United States, yet violent behavior in adolescents outside and in relation to the United States is not well characterized. Comparison of violence-related behaviors in US youths with those of their peers in other countries can provide a context for the US findings. Our analysis found that for 3 violence-related behaviors—fighting, weapon carrying, and injuries from fighting—adolescents from 5 European countries were remarkably similar in terms of frequencies, whereas the results were not as uniform cross-nationally for involvement in bullying. This cross-national comparison allows circumspection on whether violent behavior in adolescence is more a function of environmental, cultural, and political influences or to what extent it is part of the normal developmental process of adolescence.”

For reference see:  The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

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