Direct protective and buffering protective factors in the development of youth violence

Investigating the impact of lumping heterogenous conduct problems: aggression and rule-breaking rely on distinct spontaneous brain activity

Accumulating evidence suggests that aggression and rule-breaking may have distinct origins. However, grouping these heterogeneous behaviors into a single dimension labelled Conduct Problems (CP) has become the norm rather than the exception. Yet, the neurobiological features that differentiate aggression and rule-breaking remain largely unexplored. Using a large sample of children and adolescents (n = 1360, 6-18 years old), we examined the common and specific brain activity between CP, aggression, and rule-breaking behaviors. Analyses were conducted using fMRI resting-state data from a 10-minute session to explore the correlations between low frequency fluctuations and both broad and fine-grained CP dimensions. The broad CP dimension was associated with deficits in the precentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and tempo-parietal junction. However, only the superior temporal gyrus was shared between aggression and rule-breaking. Activity of the precentral gyrus was mainly associated with rule-breaking, and the temporo-parietal cortex with aggression. More importantly, voxel-wise analyses on fine-grained dimensions revealed additional specific effects that were initially obscured when using a broad CP dimension. Finally, we showed that the findings specific to aggression and rule-breaking may be related to distinct brain networks and mental functions, especially ventral attention/sensorimotor processes and default mode network/social cognitions, respectively. The current study highlights that aggression and rule-breaking may be related to distinct local and distributed neurobiological markers. Overall, using fine-grained dimensions may provide a clearer picture of the role of neurobiological correlates in CP and their invariance across measurement levels. We advocate for adopting a more thorough examination of the lumping/splitting effect across neuroimaging studies on CP.

A Paradox of School Social Organization: Positive School Climate, Friendship Network Density, and Adolescent Violence

Schools are often encouraged to foster a positive climate to reduce adolescent violence, but evidence on the effectiveness of this approach varies significantly. This study investigates the roots of this variation by testing alternative hypotheses about how positive school-level climate and school-level student friendship network density interact to shape adolescent violence perpetration. Research on informal social control and network closure suggests that the violence-reducing association of positive school climate will be enhanced among schools where students are more densely tied through their friendships. Research on youth conflict and subversion of control suggests the opposite. These hypotheses are tested with data from Waves I-II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 11,771; 49% Female; Age mean = 15.04, SD = 1.60). Consistent with the conflict/subversion hypothesis, analyses indicate that the inverse association between positive school climate and adolescent violence is only evident among schools with a very low density of friendship ties. Strikingly, however, there is evidence that a more positive school climate is associated with increases in violence among youth attending schools with a high density of friendship ties. These findings suggest that efforts to reduce violence by fostering cohesion among youth in their schools and other social contexts can be undermined by youth network processes.

Risk and Protective Factors of Self-harm and Suicidality in Adolescents: An Umbrella Review with Meta-Analysis

Suicide remains the second most common cause of death in young people aged 10-24 years and is a growing concern globally. The literature reports a vast number of factors that can predispose an adolescent to suicidality at an individual, relational, community, or societal level. There is limited high-level research identifying and understanding these risk and protective factors of adolescent suicidality. The present study used an umbrella review and meta-analysis to synthesize evidence from the review literature in the past 20 years on risk and protective factors of self-harm and suicidality (behavior and ideation) in adolescents. The umbrella review included 33 quantitative reviews with 1149 individual studies on suicidality and self-harm. Based on the data synthesis, it compared the public health impact of exposure on the population of the identified exposure. Bullying victimization was the most attributed environmental exposure for suicidality. The other identified significant school and individual factors were sleeping disturbance, school absenteeism, and exposure to antidepressants. Several significant vulnerable young populations were identified with significantly higher prevalence of suicidality, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning) youth and those with mental health disorders, problem behaviors, previous suicidality, self-harm, and gender (female). A person-centered approach emphasizing connectedness and bully-free school environments should be a priority focus for schools, health professionals, and public health policymakers.

The Influence of Racial Socialization, Mentor Support, and Emotion Regulation on the Psychological Well-Being of African American Boys

Although it is well-documented that school-based racial discrimination can have adverse effects on African American adolescents, the understanding of how socio-emotional factors can act as safeguards is still limited. This study explores whether emotion regulation, mentor support, and parent racial socialization help African American boys cope with school-based racial discrimination. Factors such as emotion regulation are internal assets, while mentor support and parent racial socialization are external resources. Four hundred and eighty-seven African American boys aged 12 to 18 (M = 14.33; SD = 1.62) participated. School-based racial discrimination correlated negatively with psychological well-being. Only emotion regulation and parental racial socialization were related to positive psychological well-being. However, mentor support buffered against the negative impacts of school-based racial discrimination on psychological well-being. These results underscore the significance of assets and resources in bolstering African American boys' resilience against school-based racial discrimination, with implications for interventions and future research.

High resting heart rate protects against the intergenerational transmission of antisocial behavior: a birth cohort study

Although social influences have been identified that protect against the intergenerational transmission of antisocial behavior, there has been no prior research on biological protective factors. This study examines whether high resting heart rate may be one such factor. Resting heart rate was measured in 405 children of parents from a birth cohort, together with antisocial behavior in both the parent and the child. Children who were not antisocial, but had a parent high on antisocial behavior, had higher resting heart rates than all three other parent-child antisocial behavior groupings. Results withstood control for age, gender, ethnicity, body mass index, and psychosocial adversity. Robustness checks confirmed these results. Findings are the first to identify a biological protective factor against the intergenerational transmission of childhood antisocial behavior.

Protective Factors for Sexual Violence Perpetration Among High School and College Students: A Systematic Review

To prevent sexual violence (SV), it is important to understand both risk and protective factors for SV perpetration. Although considerable research has examined risk factors for perpetration of SV among high school and college students, less research is dedicated to investigating protective factors which might mitigate the risk of perpetration. This review summarizes existing research on protective factors for perpetration of SV among high school and college students. Thirteen articles were included in this study after reviewing 5,464 citations. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed scholarly journals, written in English, and published between 2010 and 2021. The included articles indicate that 11 factors were significantly related to less SV perpetration. Key protective factors identified in this study include empathy, impulse control, social support, parental factors, peers, church attendance/ religiosity, and school connections. In addition to protective factors, this review also examined study characteristics for the included articles and found that most participants were White and just over half of the studies were longitudinal. Overall, these findings indicate a lack of research focused on protective factors for SV perpetration, and a need for more research on the identified protective factors and to investigate additional protective factors. Such studies should include longitudinal designs and more diverse samples to understand the range of protective factors that can be bolstered through interventions to prevent SV among high school and college students.

Protective Factors for Antisocial Behavior in Youth: What is the Meta-Analytic Evidence?

Although both risk and protective factors are important components of etiological theories for antisocial behavior, far less is known about protective factors and their impact. This review summarized primary studies on the impact of different protective factors for antisocial behavior in youth. In total, 305 studies reporting on 1850 potentially protective factors were included. Each extracted factor was first classified into one of 77 mutually exclusive groups of similar factors (referred to as domains), after which a three-level meta-analysis was conducted to determine the protective effect of each domain. A significant and negative effect was found for 50 domains, which were therefore designated as being truly protective. The largest impact (r < -0.20) was found for higher levels of conservativeness, self-transcendence, life satisfaction, involvement in romantic relationships, the capacity to reflect or mentalize, peer relationships quality, prosocial peers, prosocial values, agreeableness, school self-esteem, parental control, general resilience, and social skills. Analyses revealed that the impact of some of the 77 domains was moderated by the youth's age (five domains) and gender (four domains) as well as the severity of antisocial behavior they exhibit (two domains), indicating that the impact of these domains differs across subgroups of antisocial youth. Given the substantial number of factors that were identified as being protective for antisocial behavior in youth, this study discusses implications for future directions, assessment strategies, and (preventive) interventions.

Do parental attachment and prosocial behavior moderate the impairment from depression symptoms in adolescents who seek mental health care?

We investigated parental attachment and prosocial behavior as social protective indicators in adolescents (age 11-17) with symptoms of depression in a clinical setting. Specifically, we tested the moderating effect of these factors on the relation between symptoms of depression and their impairment on daily life. The Development and Well-Being Assessment, as completed by children, mothers, and fathers, was used, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted for these three perspectives. From the adolescents' reports we only found a significant effect of symptoms on impairment indicating that a higher number of symptoms were related to higher impairment. For the mothers and fathers, a higher score on the adolescents' prosocial behavior was related to a lower impairment from depression symptoms on the daily life of the adolescent and the family. Only for the mothers did a higher score on prosocial behavior buffered the effect of symptoms on impairment, while a higher parental attachment score was associated with a lower impairment. Further, when examining maternal and paternal attachment separately, we found that, only the mothers, reported less impairment from the symptoms when they perceived that the adolescent was attached to the father, and paternal attachment even buffered the effect of symptoms on impairment. To conclude, our results indicate that social protective factors, from the parent's perspective, are likely to have a beneficial effect in clinical practice and should be taken into account when examining impairment scores. Future studies should investigate whether additional protective indicators from the adolescents' perspective, such as quality of parental attachment or family climate, may have a positive impact on their daily functioning.

Contextualizing involvement in terrorist violence by considering non-significant findings: Using null results and temporal perspectives to better understand radicalization outcomes

Irrespective of discipline, the publication of null or non-significant findings is rare in the social sciences. For burgeoning fields like terrorism research, this is particularly problematic. As well as increasing the likelihood of Type II errors, the selective reporting of significant findings ultimately impedes progression, hindering comprehensive syntheses of evidence and enabling ill-supported lines of scientific enquiry to persist. This manuscript discusses several structural and individual-level variables which failed to produce significant, linear associations with involvement in terrorist violence in a dataset (N = 206) of right-wing and jihadist extremists active in Europe and North America. After considering methodological factors such as non-random distributions of missing data, we illustrate how certain variables are significantly associated with involvement in terrorist violence at particular periods in a radicalizing individual's lifespan, but not others (i.e., pre- or post-radicalization onset). Moreover, we demonstrate that while some static, binary constructs (such as whether or not a radicalizing individual was exposed to diverse viewpoints) are not associated with terrorist violence, their influence over time produces different associations. We conclude that radicalization may be less about individuals having pre-disposing risk factors, such as biographical stressors, and more about cognitive changes that allow individuals to re-evaluate their lives through the lens of an extremist ideology. We also underline the importance of taking a temporal, rather than static, perspective to better understand the variables associated with the outcomes of radicalization trajectories.

Understanding the Protective Role of Adolescent-Adult Relationships Among Minoritized Youths in Neighborhoods Impacted by Community Violence

Using dyadic youth-adult interviews, the current study explored characteristics, benefits, and challenges of supportive youth-adult relationships for youths living in neighborhoods with high levels of community violence. Thirty-two dyads of youths between the ages 13 to 21 years (63% female, 88% Black) and their self-identified key adult supports in Pittsburgh, PA, completed semi-structured interviews exploring important qualities of youth-adult relationships, aspects which strengthen these relationships, relationship challenges, and intergenerational support. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis and an iterative coding process to identify key themes. For youths and adults, important qualities that constituted supportive relationships included being dependable, nonjudgmental, a best friend, and providing unwavering support. Occasionally, youths and adults found it difficult to communicate and understand each other. Despite these challenges, the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and dynamic, bidirectional support were instrumental in helping youths navigate obstacles and thrive. The study highlighted the importance of youth-adult relationships across family and community contexts in empowering youths in neighborhoods impacted by community violence. Dyadic and network-based interventions should be developed that uplift the strengths of youths and their adult supports while simultaneously being attuned to challenges that minoritized youths and adults encounter in neighborhoods impacted by violence.

Ecological promotive and protective factors deterring gun carriage for young adults living in communities with high rates of community violence

This study identified promotive and protective factors that lessened the likelihood of handgun carriage in a sample of 141 predominantly Black (97%) young adults (ages 18-22) living in high burden communities experiencing elevated rates of violence. Participants completed surveys assessing overall risk and protective factors for violence across ecological contexts (e.g., individual/peer, family, school, and community). A series of regression and moderation analyses were conducted to ascertain direct (promotive) and indirect (protective) relations between factors across the ecological model and likelihood of gun carriage. Results indicated that (1) consistent with previous studies, both witnessing violence and violence victimization were significant risk factors for handgun carriage, (2) ethnic identity was a significant promotive factor related to a lower likelihood of handgun carriage, and (3) lack of family conflict, student status, and community assets were significant protective factors where higher levels of these factors attenuated the relation between exposure to community violence and likelihood of gun carriage. This is one of the first strengths-based studies examining factors that may mitigate the likelihood of gun carriage for young adults in high risk contexts. Our findings suggest that gun violence prevention efforts for high burden communities should support young adults by strengthening factors across the ecological model (e.g., individual, family, school, and community).

Disrupting the cycle of youth violence: The role of social support for youth in a Northern Irish Youth Work Programme

Youth violence is a significant concern and previous research has found that violence is both trauma inducing and violence inducing. Meta-analyses have demonstrated that peri-trauma contextual factors such as the presence or absence of social supports following the onset of trauma may be predictive of the onset and duration of psychological stress. The aim of this study is to build upon the existing research evidence to clarify the links between social support, psychological stress and physical violence among a cross-section of youth living in high-violence areas of Northern Ireland. Participants were a sample of 10-25-year-olds (N = 635) who participated in a targeted youth work programme in Northern Ireland. This study conducted a mediation analysis, entering social support as the independent variable, psychological distress as the mediator and self-reported violence as the outcome variable. Violent victimisation was entered as a covariate in the analysis. After controlling for violent victimisation, social support operates through psychological stress to influence the risk of physical violence. Social support may contribute to reductions in psychological stress and thus buffer against the risks of living in areas of elevated community violence. Specialist youth work approaches may provide an opportunity to reduce psychological stress and thus help to mitigate the risk of further violence. Combined, these insights provide opportunities for harm reduction and prevention. At the same time, these findings advance our understanding of the distinct mechanisms of change involved in youth work-led violence prevention efforts.

A Tailored Approach for Justice Involved Youth With an Intellectual Disability: The Suitability of a Small-Scale Community-Integrated Approach

Youngsters with intellectual disabilities are overinvolved within the youth justice system. The aim of this study was to explore the suitability of a small-scale community-integrated approach for justice involved youngsters with intellectual disabilities. This study compared the numbers of transfers, the number, type, and rate of change in incidents, and the possible mediating effect of resilience thereon, between 40 youngsters with and 19 youngsters without intellectual disabilities, placed in a small-scale facility. There were no differences in the number of transfers, the number, type, and rate of change in incidents, and no mediating effect of resilience was found. A small-scale community integrated approach for youth justice facilities can be suited to provide tailored placement for youngsters with intellectual disabilities, given the presence of protective factors and motivation. Both youngsters with and without intellectual disabilities showed a low number of incidents and were able to continue or initiate structural daytime activities.

Exploring the Impact of Racism on Black Youth: A Multidimensional Examination of Discriminatory Experiences Across Place and Time

PURPOSE

Community violence disproportionally impacts Black youth. Experiences of racism and discrimination may create additional challenges for youth recovering from violence exposure. This study used ecological momentary assessment to elucidate how perceptions of racism and social support influence health and safety outcomes among Black youth following violence exposure.

METHODS

Twenty-five Black youth (14-19 years old, 60% female) who had witnessed violence within the past three months completed a baseline survey that assessed discrimination experiences, social support, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTS), and perceived safety. Youth completed ecological momentary assessments three times daily for two weeks about the place they were in, people they were with, their current emotional state, and in-the-moment racism perceptions. Multilevel models estimated the relationship between overall and time-varying perceptions of racism and social support, PTS symptoms, and perceived safety.

RESULTS

Overall, 76% of youth reported at least one discrimination experience at baseline. Prior discrimination was associated with higher PTS (B = 1.86, p = .001) and depressive symptoms (B = 0.13, p = .013) at baseline. Youth who reported higher overall perceptions of racism in-the-moment reported higher PTS (B = 0.50, p = .002) and lower perceived safety (B = -0.53, p = .001). In-the-moment perceptions of racism were associated with lower perceived safety in that place (B = -0.09, p < .01). Emotional and instrumental support were associated with lower PTS and higher perceived safety (p < .05).

DISCUSSION

Experiences of racism and being in discriminatory places impacted youth's depressive symptoms, PTS symptoms, and perceived safety. Interventions attuned to in-the-moment experiences of racism, and that leverage social support, are needed to support Black youth exposed to violence and discrimination.

Violence risk and personality assessment in adolescents by Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and high school personality questionnaire (HSPQ): Focus on protective factors strengthening

Background

Adolescents are most at risk of engaging in violent interaction. Targeting violence risk and protective factors is essential for correctly understanding and assessing their role in potential violence. We aimed to use the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) tool within the sample of adolescents to capture violence risk and protective factors and personality variables related to risk and protective factors. We further aimed to identify which violence risk and protective factors were positively or negatively related to violence within personal history and if any personality traits are typical for violent and non-violent adolescents. Identifying broader or underlying constructs within the SAVRY tool factor analysis can enable appropriate therapeutic targeting.

Methods

We used the Czech standardized version of the SAVRY tool. The study sample comprised 175 men and 226 women aged 12-18 years divided into two categories according to the presence or absence of violence in their personal history. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare numerical variables between the two groups. SAVRY factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to determine the item factors. We administered the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ) to capture adolescents' personality characteristics.

Results

In our sample, there were 151 participants with violence in their personal histories and 250 non-violent participants. Non-violent adolescents had higher values for all six SAVRY protective factors. The strongest protective factor was P3, Strong attachment and bonds across gender or a history of violence. Using factor analysis, we identified three SAVRY internal factors: social conduct, assimilation, and maladaptation. The SAVRY protective factors were significantly positively related to several factors in the HSPQ questionnaire.

Conclusion

The results highlight the significance of protective factors and their relationship with violence prevalence. HSPQ diagnostics could be helpful in clinically targeting personality-based violence risks and protective factors. The therapeutic focus should be on tension, peer rejection, and anxiety. It is also essential to foster positive attitudes toward authority, prosocial behavior, and attitudes toward school. These strategies can help strengthen protective factors of the SAVRY.

Parents' Self-reported Changes in Concern About Children's Bullying-Fall ConsumerStyles and Estilos Surveys, United States, 2020

Bullying is a type of youth violence and an adverse childhood experience that can result in trauma and have immediate and long-term consequences for all involved. It can happen at school or elsewhere - including online entertainment and social and learning environments. Some children are at increased risk for bullying victimization, such as those targeted because of their racial/ethnic background or cultural identity. This study assessed U.S. parents and caregivers' self-reported changes in concern about their children's involvement in bullying during Fall 2020 compared to the prior year, which was marked by extraordinary historical circumstances (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, heightened awareness of racial inequities, schools transitioning to virtual learning). Secondary analyses of data from the 2020 Fall ConsumerStyles and Estilos online panel surveys - designed to be representative of U.S. adults overall and U.S. Hispanic adults, respectively - were conducted. Differences by children's type of school attendance (i.e., physically at school or not) and parents' sociodemographic characteristics were explored. While findings suggest that U.S. parents' concern for their children being bullied during Fall 2020 compared to the prior year did not change, significant differences were found by the children's type of school attendance and the parents' race/ethnicity - with increased concern among parents of children who physically attended school, non-Hispanic Black parents and Hispanic parents. Among parents who reported being less concerned during Fall 2020 about their children being bullied compared to the prior year, not being physically at school is noted as the main reason why. Parents who reported being more concerned frequently noted racism as the reason why. It is imperative to understand what parents think about bullying, to best inform efforts to support their key role in bullying prevention.

Disrupting the Link between Corporal Punishment Exposure and Adolescent Aggression: The Role of Teacher-Child Relationships

Previous research has identified harsh parenting practices, such as corporal punishment, as a predictor of adolescent behaviour problems such as increased aggression. However, not all children who experience childhood corporal punishment develop increased aggression, making the illumination of factors moderating this link an important question for informing prevention. In the current study, an autoregressive cross-lagged panel model was used to examine teacher-child relationships as both a direct and interactive protective factor (via weakening the effects of corporal punishment exposure) in adolescent aggression. Data was used from the Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso). Self-reported data was collected at three time points: age 11 (n = 1144, 49% female) age 13 (n = 1366, 49% female) and age 15 (n = 1447, 48% female). Results suggested having a positive teacher-child relationship was a direct protective factor against concurrent aggression. However, there was not consistent evidence for a moderating effect of teacher-child relationships. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Social-Ecological Predictors of Homophobic Name-Calling Perpetration and Victimization Among Early Adolescents

Bias-based aggression at school in the form of homophobic name-calling is quite prevalent among early adolescents. Homophobic name-calling is associated with low academic performance, higher risky sexual behaviors, and substance abuse, among other adverse outcomes. This longitudinal study examined risk and protective factors across multiple domains of the social ecology (individual, peer, family, school and community) and levels of analysis (within- and between-person) associated with homophobic name-calling perpetration and victimization. Students from four middle schools in the U.S. Midwest (N = 1,655; X ¯ age = 12.75; range = 10-16 years) were surveyed four times (Spring/Fall 2008, Spring/Fall 2009). For homophobic name-calling perpetration, significant risk factors included impulsivity, social dominance, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence; while empathy, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors. For homophobic name-calling victimization, significant risk factors included empathy (between-person), impulsivity, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence, while empathy (within-person), parental monitoring, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors.

Earned Income Tax Credit and Youth Violence: Findings from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Family- and neighborhood-level poverty are associated with youth violence. Economic policies may address this risk factor by reducing parental stress and increasing opportunities. The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the largest cash transfer program in the US providing support to low-income working families. Many states have additional EITCs that vary in structure and generosity. To estimate the association between state EITC and youth violence, we conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis using the variation in state EITC generosity over time by state and self-reported data in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) from 2005 to 2019. We estimated the association for all youth and then stratified by sex and race and ethnicity. A 10-percentage point greater state EITC was significantly associated with 3.8% lower prevalence of physical fighting among youth, overall (PR: 0.96; 95% CI 0.94-0.99), and for male students, 149 fewer (95% CI: -243, -55) students per 10,000 experiencing physical fighting. A 10-percentage point greater state EITC was significantly associated with 118 fewer (95% CI: -184, -52) White students per 10,000 experiencing physical fighting in the past 12 months while reductions among Black students (75 fewer; 95% CI: -176, 26) and Hispanic/Latino students (14 fewer; 95% CI: -93, 65) were not statistically significant. State EITC generosity was not significantly associated with measures of violence at school. Economic policies that increase financial security and provide financial resources may reduce the burden of youth violence; further attention to their differential benefits among specific population subgroups is warranted.

Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence as a Child and Associated Consequences

Intimate partner violence (IPV) continues to be a global problem. The increasing international research, focussing on children who witness IPV between their parents, indicates that these circumstances might influence children in different ways. Despite these efforts, little evidence stems from Germany. Using data from a German school student survey from 2017 and 2019 (N = 21,382), this paper aims to examine the consequences of witnessing IPV. The present paper takes a closer look at children's violent behaviour, attitudes and quality of life while controlling for other potential influences (e.g. physical and psychological child abuse). Results indicate that IPV has a significant negative effect on children's quality of life, in particular on children's sense of security at home and children's life satisfaction. No other effects were significant. In discussing these complex dynamics, the results of the present study highlight the importance of considering children who witness IPV as direct victims. A home with personal threats cannot provide emotional and physical security. Coping with this absence of a secure base at home may lead to the neglect of important developmental tasks during that time, which can have possible far-reaching implications on different areas of children's lives (e.g. social competence). Further research examining the severity and duration of witnessing IPV within the context of a longitudinal design is recommended.

Violence Perpetration in Early Adolescence: A Study of Four Urban Communities Worldwide

PURPOSE

Violence perpetration is common among adolescents worldwide but existing research largely focuses on boys, older adolescents, and partner violence. Our study sought to identify individual, family, and neighborhood/peer factors associated with violence perpetration in a multinational sample of male and female young adolescents.

METHODS

We used cross-sectional data from 5,762 adolescents in four sites in the Global Early Adolescent Study: Flanders, Belgium; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Shanghai, China; and Semarang, Indonesia. Adolescents resided in high-poverty urban areas and were aged 10 to 14 years. Logistic regression examined pooled and stratified associations between independent variables with peer violence perpetration in the past six months. Factors included media viewing habits, gender norms, victimization, agency/empowerment, adversity, depression, familial relationships, neighborhood cohesion, and peer behaviors.

RESULTS

Restricted-model analyses found increased odds of violence perpetration associated with high media consumption, pornography viewing, violence or bullying victimization, having drank alcohol, depressive symptoms, adverse childhood experiences, greater behavioral control, greater decision-making, feeling unsafe in the neighborhood/school, peer alcohol/tobacco use, and witnessing peers start a fight. Decreased odds of violence perpetration were associated with more egalitarian views on two gender norms scales, closer parental relationships, neighbors looking out for one another, and greater availability of adult help.

DISCUSSION

Among young adolescents, increased odds of violence perpetration were related to a perceived lack of safety and risky peer behaviors. Parental and neighborhood connections were often associated with decreased perpetration. Further research examining the interplay of such factors among young adolescents is needed to inform effective intervention and policy.

Adolescent-Adult Social Networks and Experiences of Violence Among Black Youth in Neighborhoods With High Levels of Community Violence

PURPOSE

Adult support is inversely linked to health-affecting risk behaviors. This study aimed to describe adolescent-adult support network structure and quality, and to analyze associations among network properties, strength of emotional and instrumental support, and violence involvement among predominantly Black youth residing in neighborhoods with high levels of community violence.

METHODS

One hundred six youth from urban neighborhoods with high levels of community violence in Pittsburgh, PA completed egocentric social network surveys describing adult supports, measures of support across contexts, and past 30-day violence perpetration, victimization, and witnessing. Forty youth-identified adults completed complementary social network surveys. Poisson regression examined associations among strength of social support, adults' violence experiences, and youths' violence experiences.

RESULTS

Mean youth participant age was 16.7 years, 56% self-identified as female, and 84% as Black or African-American. Youth and adult participants reported high levels of violence exposure and involvement. Youth identified a mean of 4.8 adult supports. Identifying at least one immediate family member in their network was inversely related to violence perpetration (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-0.89), victimization (aIRR 0.42, 95% CI 0.25-0.72), and witnessing (aIRR 0.48, 95% CI 0.35-0.64). The percent of adult supports involved in violence was directly associated with violence perpetration (aIRR 1.81, 95% CI 1.07-3.07), victimization (aIRR 1.95, 95% CI 1.09-3.45), and witnessing (aIRR 1.85, 95% CI 1.25-2.73). Few associations emerged between the structure of youth-reported adolescent-adult social networks and violence.

DISCUSSION

Network-based interventions combined with healing-centered services attuned to violence experiences among Black youth and their adult supports may offer opportunities to leverage youths' existing adult support network and reduce violence.

Is radicalization a family issue? A systematic review of family-related risk and protective factors, consequences, and interventions against radicalization

BACKGROUND

Family-related risk and protective factors are crucial for different antisocial behaviors, but their role in radicalization requires synthesis. Radicalization is likely to have a negative impact on families, and well-designed and implemented family-focused intervention programs have the potential to decrease radicalization.

OBJECTIVES

Research questions were: (1) What are the family-related risk and protective factors for radicalization? (2) What is the impact of radicalization on families? (3) Are family-based interventions against radicalization effective?

SEARCH METHODS

Searches included 25 databases and hand searches of gray literature from April to July 2021. Leading researchers in the field were asked to provide published and unpublished studies on the topic. Reference lists of the included studies and previously published systematic reviews on risk and protective factors for radicalization were scanned.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Published and unpublished quantitative studies on family-related risk and protective factors for radicalization, the impact of radicalization on families, and family-focused interventions were eligible with no restrictions regarding the study year, location, or any demographic characteristic. Studies were included if they measured the relation between a family-related factor and radicalization or if they included a family-focused intervention against radicalization. For family-related risk and protective factors, radicalized individuals needed to be compared to general population. Studies were included if they defined radicalization as support or commission of violence to defend a cause, including support for radical groups.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

The systematic search identified 86,591 studies. After screening, 33 studies focused on family-related risk and protective factors were included, with 89 primary effect sizes and 48 variables grouped in 14 factors. For the factors that included two or more studies, meta-analyses with random effects were conducted. When possible, moderator analyses were performed together with sensitivity and publication bias analyses. No studies on the impact of radicalization on families or family-focused interventions were included.

RESULTS

The current systematic review based on studies with 148,081 adults and adolescents from diverse geographic locations showed that parental ethnic socialization (z = 0.27), having extremist family members (z = 0.26), and family conflict (z = 0.11) were related to more radicalization, whereas high family socioeconomic status (z = -0.03), bigger family size (z = -0.05), and high family commitment (z = -0.06) were related to less radicalization. Separate analyses described family-factors for behavioral versus cognitive radicalization, and different radical ideologies including Islamist, right-wing and left-wing. It was not possible to distinguish risk and protective factors from correlates and the level of overall bias was mostly high. No results regarding the impact of radicalization on families or family-focused interventions were included.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Although causal relations between family-related risk and protective factors could not be established, it is reasonable to suggest that policies and practice should aim at decreasing family-related risks and increasing protective factors for radicalization. Tailored interventions including these factors should be urgently designed, implemented and evaluated. Studies focused on the impact of radicalization on families and family-focused interventions are urgently needed together with longitudinal studies on family-related risk and protective factors.

Reclaiming public spaces: The case for the built environment as a restorative tool in neighborhoods with high levels of community violence

Early-life exposure to neighborhood violence can negatively affect children's socioemotional development and long-term health outcomes. Community-level interventions that modify the built environment to facilitate social encounters can have a positive impact on health. An example of such interventions is the building of green spaces and playgrounds. This case study describes collaboration among residents, local organizations, and a university that aimed to increase the utilization of a vacant lot by converting it into a green space with a playground. Informal conversations at volunteer gatherings and neighborhood association meetings indicated a positive impact of this project in the community. We propose a model for future program implementation and research to improve health in disinvested and disordered communities. We conclude that more research is needed on community partnerships that modify the built environment to decrease community violence. Community-based participatory research may be successful in evaluating future projects with this goal.

Association of paternal rejection with externalizing problems of adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Despite evidence suggesting the role of the parent-child relationship in externalizing problems, few studies have examined the direct and indirect association of father rejection and externalizing problems. This research examines the mediation effect of peer victimization in the association of paternal rejection with externalizing problems in adolescents. Besides, it explores the moderating effect of impulsivity on this association. In total, 2,116 pupils completed anonymous questionnaires about paternal rejection, peer victimization, externalizing problems, and impulsivity. Sex, age, paternal and maternal education, and per capita income were set as covariates. The results revealed that peer victimization mediated the relationship between paternal rejection and externalizing problems in adolescents. Impulsivity played a moderating role not only in the relationship between paternal rejection and externalizing problems but also in the link between peer victimization and externalizing problems. Specifically, paternal rejection predicted greater externalizing problems only for adolescents with high-level impulsivity, and peer victimization was predictive of greater externalizing problems only for adolescents with high levels of impulsivity. The findings highlight that paternal rejection and peer victimization have a potential, long-lasting influence on the psychological well-being of adolescents, particularly for adolescents high in impulsivity.

Are There Resilient Children with ADHD?

OBJECTIVE

The adverse outcomes associated with ADHD are well known, but less is known about the minority of children with ADHD who may be flourishing despite this neurodevelopmental risk. The present multi-informant study is an initial step in this direction with the basic but unanswered question: Are there resilient children with ADHD?

METHOD

Reliable change analysis of the BASC-3 Resiliency subscale for a clinically evaluated sample of 206 children with and without ADHD (ages 8-13; 81 girls; 66.5% White/Non-Hispanic).

RESULTS

Most children with ADHD are perceived by their parents and teachers as resilient (52.8%-59.2%), with rates that did not differ from the comorbidity-matched Non-ADHD sample.

CONCLUSION

Exploratory analyses highlighted the importance of identifying factors that promote resilience for children with ADHD specifically, such that some child characteristics were promotive (associated with resilience for both groups), some were protective (associated with resilience only for children with ADHD), and some were beneficial only for children without ADHD.

The Importance of Family and School Protective Factors in Preventing the Risk Behaviors of Youth

The aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional associations of protective factors within a family and school context with adolescent risk behaviors. The study was conducted among adolescents (n = 9682) from five cities in Croatia. Mean age of participants was 16.2 years (SD = 1.2), and 52.5% were female. Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to examine relations between school attachment, school commitment, family communication, and family satisfaction with gambling, substance use, violence, and sexual risk behavior. Data analyses were conducted in two sets, the first using the full sample, and the second using a subsample (excluding Zagreb) for which there was data on sexual risk behavior. In the first model, school attachment was negatively associated with gambling and violence, while school commitment was negatively associated with students' gambling, substance use, and violence. Gambling was also associated with family satisfaction in this model. Results from the subsample model were similar with regards to school and family factors associated with gambling, substance use, and violence, with a few exceptions. In this model, family protective factors were found not to be significantly related with any risk behavior. These study results emphasize the importance of strengthening school protective factors, school attachment, and school commitment in preventing risk behaviors in adolescents.

Social, Economic and Human Capital: Risk or Protective Factors in Sexual Violence?

In Chile, studies on protective factors and risk factors for sexual violence are limited and very few have incorporated analysis of different types of capital (social, economic, human) as social resources in the protection against sexual violence. The objective of this research is to evaluate to what extent the stock of different capitals act together, as either protective or risk factors in sexual violence in different interpersonal environments. The sample consisted of 1665 women between 15 and 30 years of age (M = 23.47, SD = 4.41). Artificial neural network analysis and social network analysis were used. The nodes representative of human and economic capital have a protective role of low relevance due to their position in the network, while the nodes of social capital acquire a structural relevance due to the central positions of the network. It is concluded that the structural social capital of neighborhood networks constitutes the main protective factor for sexual violence in all areas, and in turn, the structural social capital of networks with non-significant others was the main risk factor in sexual victimization.

Stress, Schizophrenia, and Violence: A Machine Learning Approach

This study employs machine learning algorithms to examine the causes for engaging in violent offending in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Data were collected from 370 inpatients at the Centre for Inpatient Forensic Therapy, Zurich University Hospital of Psychiatry, Switzerland. Based on findings of the general strain theory and using logistic regression and machine learning algorithms, it was analyzed whether accumulation and type of stressors in the inpatients' history influenced the severity of an offense. A higher number of stressors led to more violent offenses, and five types of stressors were identified as being highly influential regarding violent offenses. Our findings suggest that an accumulation of stressful experiences in the course of life and certain types of stressors might be particularly important in the development of violent offending in individuals suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A better understanding of risk factors that lead to violent offenses should be helpful for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies for patients at risk and could thus potentially reduce the prevalence of violent offenses.

Protective Factors as a Unifying Framework for Strength-Based Intervention and Culturally Responsive American Indian and Alaska Native Suicide Prevention

The ongoing challenge of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) youth suicide is a public health crisis of relatively recent historical origin inadequately addressed by contemporary prevention science. A promising development in AIAN suicide prevention highlights the role of protective factors. A protective factor framework adopts a social ecological perspective and community-level intervention paradigm. Emphasis on protection highlights strength-based AIAN cultural strategies in prevention of youth suicide. Attention to multiple intersecting levels incorporates strategies promoting community as well as individual resilience processes, seeking to influence larger contexts as well as individuals within them. This approach expands the scope of suicide prevention strategies beyond the individual level and tertiary prevention strategies. Interventions that focus on mechanisms of protection offer a rigorous, replicable, and complementary prevention science alternative to risk reduction approaches. This selected review critically examines recent AIAN protective factor suicide prevention science. One aim is to clarify key concepts including protection, resilience, and cultural continuity. A broader aim is to describe the evolution of this promising new framework for conducting primary research about AIAN suicide, and for designing and testing more effective intervention. Recommendations emphasize focus on mechanisms, multilevel interactions, more precise use of theory and terms, implications for new intervention development, alertness to unanticipated impacts, and culture as fundamental in a protective factors framework for AIAN suicide prevention. A protective factor framework holds significant potential for advancing AIAN suicide prevention and for work with other culturally distinct suicide disparity groups, with broad implications for other areas of prevention science.

Relationship between Punitive Discipline and Child-to-Parent Violence: The Moderating Role of the Context and Implementation of Parenting Practices

This study examines the influence of punitive parental discipline on child-to-parent violence (CPV). The moderating roles of parental context (stress and parental ineffectiveness), mode of implementation of parental discipline (parental impulsivity or warmth/support) and the gender of the aggressor in the relationship between punitive discipline and CPV are examined. The study included 1543 university students between 18 and 25 years old (50.2% males, M_age = 19.9 years, SD = 1.9) who retrospectively described their experience between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. The results indicated that stress, ineffectiveness and parental impulsivity increase the negative effect of punitive discipline on CPV. There is no moderating effect of parental warmth/support. The gender of the aggressor is only a moderator in the case of violence toward the father, and the effect of punitive discipline is stronger in males than in females. The study draws conclusions regarding the importance of context and the mode by which parents discipline their children, aspects that can aggravate the adverse effects of physical and psychological punishment on CPV. It is necessary for interventions to focus not only on promoting positive disciplinary strategies but also on the mode in which they are administered and on contextual aspects.

Assault-injured youth in the emergency centres of Khayelitsha, South Africa: A prospective study of recidivism and mortality

INTRODUCTION

Violence is a major cause of death worldwide among youth. The highest mortality rates from youth violence occur in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). We sought to identify risk factors for violent re-injury and emergency centre (EC) recidivism among assault-injured youth in South Africa.

METHODS

A prospective follow up study of assault injured youth and controls ages 14-24 presenting for emergency care was conducted in Khayelitsha, South Africa from 2016 to 2018. Sociodemographic and behavioral factors were assessed using a questionnaire administered during the index EC visit. The primary outcomes were return EC visit for violent injury or death within 15 months. We used multivariable logistic regression to compute adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of associations between return EC visits and key demographic, social, and behavioral factors among assault-injured youth.

RESULTS

Our study sample included 320 assault-injured patients and 185 non-assault-injured controls. Of the assault-injured, 80% were male, and the mean age was 20.8 years. The assault-injured youth was more likely to have a return EC visit for violent injury (14%) compared to the control group (3%). The non-assault-injured group had a higher mortality rate (7% vs 3%). All deaths in the control group were due to end-stage HIV or TB-related complications. The strongest risk factors for return EC visit were prior criminal activity (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.1-5.1), and current enrollment in school (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.0-4.6). Although the assault-injured group reported high rates of binge drinking (73%) at the index visit, this was not found to be a risk factor for violence-related EC recidivism.

DISCUSSION

Our findings suggest that assault-injured youth in an LMIC setting are at high risk of EC recidivism and several sociodemographic and behavioral factors are associated with increased risk. These findings can inform targeted intervention programs.

Exploring Whether Talking With Parents, Siblings, and Friends Moderates the Association Between Peer Victimization and Adverse Psychosocial Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to explore whether talking with parents, siblings, and friends will moderate the association between peer victimization and adverse outcomes (internalizing problems, alcohol/tobacco use, and delinquent friend affiliation). Data were derived from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children, 2009 to 2010 cohort study in the United States (n = 12,642). Bivariate, logistic regression and ordinal least squares regression analyses were conducted. Peer victimization was found to be associated with all the adverse outcomes. Although ease of talking with parents had a lower likelihood of alcohol/tobacco use, it increased alcohol/tobacco risk when peer victimization increased. Ease of talking with friends showed a higher likelihood of alcohol/tobacco use, but the likelihood was lower when peer victimization increased. Ease of talking with parents and ease of talking with friends both lowered the likelihood of delinquent friend affiliation; however, ease of talking with parents increased the risk of delinquent friend affiliation when peer victimization increased. Moreover, ease of talking with friends decreased the risk of internalizing problems, although it increased the risk of such behaviors when peer victimization increased. Talking with siblings did not buffer the association between peer victimization and adverse outcomes. Implications for practice are also discussed.

Predicting adolescent boys' and young men's perpetration of youth violence in Colombia

Youth violence poses a substantive public health burden in Latin America, particularly among adolescent boys and young men. Understanding predictors of youth violence perpetration among boys and young men is critical to more effectively target and tailor prevention programs, especially in Colombia, which has endured decades-long internal armed conflict. This study uses Colombia's nationally representative 2018 Violence Against Children and Youth Survey data to examine risk and protective factors associated with violence perpetration among 13- to 24-year-old male. Amongst adolescent boys and young men in Colombia, the prevalence of ever perpetrating violence against someone other than an intimate partner was approximately 23%. Multivariable logistic regression models revealed that physical violence victimization by peers, emotional violence victimization by caregivers, having lost or been separated from a mother during childhood, and witnessing community violence were all associated with lifetime perpetration of youth violence. Programs targeting reduction of youth violence among boys might consider addressing the previously identified predictors earlier in the life course and at the individual, family and community levels.

Victimization Typologies Among a Large National Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents

Purpose: The overall objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that victimization exposure among sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth would result in different latent classes and that victimization exposure class membership would relate to demographic, SGM-specific risk and protective factors, and health variables. Methods: Between April 2017 and December 2017, SGM youth (N = 17,112) aged 13-17 years completed self-report online surveys as part of the LGBTQ National Teen Survey. Data were analyzed between August 2020 and November 2020. Results: Three classes emerged: (1) no victimization exposure, (2) sexual harassment and bullying, and (3) poly-victimization (sexual victimization, sexual harassment, SGM-based bullying, and non-SGM bullying). The results demonstrated that victimization experiences co-occur disproportionately in vulnerable subpopulations of SGM youth, including those who identify as transgender or other gender minority, who are experiencing stigma-related stress and family rejection, and who had disclosed their sexual orientation to family members/parents. SGM youth who reported a diversity of strengths seemed to be protected against victimization. Finally, SGM youth in the sexual harassment and bullying class and the poly-victimization class were more likely to report depressive symptoms, self-perceived stress, and substance use than were SGM youth in the no victimization class, regardless of sex assigned at birth. Conclusion: These findings underscore the urgency with which affirmative prevention and intervention initiatives are needed for SGM youth to reduce risk factors for and correlates of victimization experiences. The data also underscore the importance of addressing SGM-specific risk and protective factors as part of comprehensive violence-related initiatives.

Exploring Potential Protective Factors for the Relationship between Low Self-Control in Adolescence and Negative Health Outcomes in Adulthood

Previous research links low levels of self-control with criminal involvement and negative life outcomes. A similar line of inquiry has begun to explore whether low levels of self-control are also associated with developing health problems in adulthood. This paper extends this research by examining associations between adolescent levels of self-control and four different categories of health outcomes in adulthood. In addition, this study examines whether associations between adolescent levels of low self-control and health outcomes in adulthood are moderated by environmental protective factors. The results reveal that low levels of self-control in adolescence are consistently associated with reporting more health problems. In addition, some evidence emerged in support of the role of environmental protective factors in buffering the risk of developing health problems conferred by low levels of self-control in adolescence.

Who Are the Compliant Correctional Clients? New Evidence on Protective Factors among Federal Supervised Releases

Protective factors facilitate success on community supervision, but relatively little is known about correctional clients who are highly compliant particularly in the federal system. Drawing on a near population of federal clients on supervised release in the Midwestern United States, the current study examined variables associated with compliant supervision status. One day on supervision contributed to a 1% reduction in the logged odds of supervision compliance. Clients with no drug history had 793% increased odds, clients with sustained remission had 620% increased odds, and clients with early remission had 458% increased odds of compliant supervision status relative to clients actively using drugs. Among the federal Post Conviction Risk Assessment (PCRA) indices, only PCRA Criminal History was significant as clients with less extensive criminal history were more likely to be compliant supervision clients. A one-unit change in PCRA Criminal History status was associated with 25% reduced odds of supervision compliance. Total conditions were inversely associated with compliant supervision status with each additional condition associated with a 19% reduced likelihood of compliant supervision status. None of the demographic variables was significantly associated with compliant supervision status. Implications of the findings for the protective factor paradigm in corrections are discussed.

Individual Resilience: A Major Protective Factor in Peer Bullying and Victimization of Elementary School Children in Israel

Peer violence in school has become a major issue for schools around the world. The present study examined the impacts of cultural settings and of protective individual attributes on peer bullying and victimization in school. These protective attributes were self-esteem, sense of autonomy, emotional regulation, and individual resilience. Participants were 112 Jewish and 55 Arab Bedouin pupils 10 to 11 years old. It was hypothesized that Jewish pupils would score lower than Bedouin pupils on bullying and on victimization, and will score higher than them on these protective individual attributes. It was also hypothesized that despite these differences, the investigated attributes would correlate with reduced peer violence in both groups. It was hypothesized further that individual resilience will be the major predictor of both bullying and victimization in both groups. Results have generally supported these hypotheses, suggesting alternative ways for curtailing peer aggression in school.

Cognitive and behavioral radicalization: A systematic review of the putative risk and protective factors

Background

Two of the most central questions in radicalization research are, (1) why do some individuals radicalize when most of those from the same groups or exposed to similar conditions do not? and (2) why do radicalized individuals turn to radical violence while the majority remain inert? It has been suggested that the answer to both questions lie in the cumulative and interactive effects of a range of risk factors. While risk assessment and counter-radicalization take a risk-protective factor approach, there is widespread debate as to what these factors are and which are most important.

Objectives

This review has two primary objectives.1) To identify what the putative risk and protective factors for different radicalization outcomes are, without any predeterminations.2) To synthesize the evidence and identify the relative magnitude of the effects of different factors.The review's secondary objectives are to:1) Identify consistencies in the estimates of factors across different radicalization outcomes.2) Identify whether any significant heterogeneity exists within factors between (a) geographic regions, and (b) strains of radicalizing ideologies.

Search Methods

Over 20 databases were searched for both published and gray literature. In order to provide a more comprehensive review, supplementary searches were conducted in two German and one Dutch database. Reference harvesting was conducted from previous reviews and contact was made with leading researchers to identify and acquire missing or unpublished studies.

Selection Criteria

The review included observational studies assessing the outcomes of radical attitudes, intentions, and/or radical behaviors in OECD countries and which provided sufficient data to calculate effect sizes for individual-level risk and protective factors.

Data Collection and Analysis

One-hundred and twenty-seven studies, containing 206 samples met the inclusion criteria and provided 1302 effect sizes pertaining to over 100 different factors. Random effects meta-analyses were carried out for each factor, and meta-regression and moderator analysis were used to explore differences across studies.

Results

Studies were primarily cross-sectional, with samples representing 20 countries OECD countries. Most studies examined no specific radicalizing ideology, while others focussed on specific ideologies (e.g., Islamist, right-wing, and left-wing ideologies). The studies generally demonstrated low risk of bias and utilized validated or widely acceptable measures for both indicators and outcomes. With some exceptions, sociodemographic factors tend to have the smallest estimates, with larger estimates for experiential and attitudinal factors, followed by traditional criminogenic and psychological factors.

Authors' Conclusions

While sociodemographic factors are the most commonly examined factors (selective availability), they also tend to have the smallest estimates. So too, attitudinal and even experiential factors, do not have effect sizes of the magnitude that could lead to significant reductions in risk through targeting by interventions. Conversely, traditional criminogenic factors, as well as psychological factors tend to display the largest estimates. These findings suggest the need to broaden the scope of factors considered in both risk assessment and intervention, and this review provides much needed evidence for guiding the selection of factors.

PROTOCOL: Is radicalization a family issue? A systematic review of family-related risk and protective factors, consequences, and interventions against radicalization

This systematic review aims to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the family-related risk and protective factors for radicalization? (2) What is the impact of radicalization on families? (3) To what extent are family-based interventions against radicalization effective? The review will answer these research questions by systematically gathering and synthesizing published and unpublished scientific literature on family-related risk and protective factors for radicalization, the impact of radicalization on family, and studies that evaluate the impact of family-based interventions on radicalization. This review will also explore what components of family-based interventions are most effective for countering radicalization. Thus, this systematic review will provide a global vision of scientific literature focused on family and radicalization including quantitative research.

Route Choices and Adolescent-Adult Connections in Mitigating Exposure to Environmental Risk Factors During Daily Activities

While adolescent-adult connections have been shown to be protective against violence perpetration and victimization, mechanisms through which these connections confer protection from violence are poorly understood. We assessed whether adolescent-adult connections protected youth in lower resource urban neighborhoods from exposure to environmental risk factors for violence during daily activities. We overlaid on the city landscape minute-by-minute activity paths from 274 randomly sampled predominantly African American male youth, ages 10 to 24, enrolled in a population-based study of daily activities in Philadelphia, PA, to calculate environmental exposures and to compare exposures along actual versus shortest potential travel routes. Adolescent-adult connections were defined using brief survey questions and detailed family genograms. Analyses demonstrated that youth's selected travel routes resulted in significantly lower exposure to several types of crime, including vandalism, narcotics arrests, and disorderly conduct, than would have occurred on shortest potential routes. On average, youth with adolescent-adult connections spent less time outdoors than youth without connections, although these differences did not reach statistical significance (p = .06). There were no significant differences in environmental risk factors encountered by youth with versus without adolescent-adult connections. Future mixed-methods research combining qualitative and geographic information systems (GIS) approaches should investigate which factors shape travel decisions during daily activities to guide multimodal violence prevention interventions.

The Vicious Cycle: Problematic Family Relations, Substance Abuse, and Crime in Adolescence: A Narrative Review

Despite the copiousness of studies on the risky behaviors of adolescents, we cannot establish with certainty the leading aspects involved in teens' substance abuse and criminal actions. This review aims to explore the interplay among the family system, substance abuse, and criminal behavior. An analysis of the main results of the 61 articles published between 2010 and 2020 shows that adolescents whose parents are justice-involved and often absent from home are more likely to perceive lower cohesion, support, and poor family communication. These factors can involve them in criminal acts and substance abuse. Moreover, these conducts are often linked to a form of uneasiness and a search of autonomy. Indeed, risky behaviors could have more than one meaning. Our findings also suggest that the most diffused drug-related crimes in adolescence are economic crimes, weapon carrying, robberies, dealing, and drug possession. Considering these results, future clinical implications might be based on multidimensional approaches, focusing more on the family context to promote interventions for at-risk adolescents.

Adrenocortical Activity and Aggressive Behavior in Children: A Longitudinal Study on Risk and Protective Effects

Most research on aggression and delinquency concentrates on risk factors. There has been less attention for protective factors and mechanisms, in particular with regard to biosocial influences. Based on theories of autonomous arousal and stress reactance the present study addresses the influence of adrenocortical activity as a risk and/or protective factor in the development of antisocial behavior in children. We also investigated relations to anxiousness and family stressors. In a prospective longitudinal study of 150 German boys, the first measurement took place at preschool age and contained an assessment of cortisol after waking up and 30 min later. Aggressiveness and anxiousness of the children were assessed by the kindergarten teachers with the Social Behavior Questionnaire. After 6 years, the children's behavior was rated by the teachers in middle school. Variable-oriented data analyses revealed a significant correlation between the total amount of cortisol after waking up and 30 min later (AUC _G ) and anxiousness both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, but not with aggressiveness. A family stress index correlated positively with aggressiveness but neither with cortisol nor with anxiousness. There were significant correlations between aggressiveness and anxiousness at kindergarten age and the respective behavior problems 6 years later. In a linear regression analysis on aggression only family stress had a significant effect but anxiousness not. Moderator analyses on aggressiveness with anxiousness and AUC _G or on AUC _G with anxiousness and aggressiveness did not show any significant interactions. Longitudinally, only aggression significantly predicted aggression 6 years later in a linear regression. In addition to variable-oriented analyses, we also applied a person-oriented approach to investigate specific patterns of behavior. Children who were high in both aggressiveness and anxiousness had the highest cortisol level and those with low anxiousness and high aggressiveness the lowest. The groups with different patterns of externalizing and internalizing problems at preschool age showed significant differences in aggression 6 years later. Our results underline the need for complex pattern analyses on cortisol, aggression, and anxiousness in children and for a differentiated consideration of emotional reactive aggression and unemotional instrumental aggression.

Perceptions of violence in justice-involved youth

Background

Youth are tragically affected by violence. Justice-involved youth are at elevated risk for the effects of violence, as incarceration serves as a risk factor. The objective of this study is to explore the risks and needs of justice-involved youth and identify channels for future hospital-based programming.

Methods

Four weekly focus groups were conducted by a credible messenger at the Douglas County Youth Center with former participants of Dusk 2 Dawn, a youth violence prevention program delivered at the Douglas County Youth Center. Eight participants were prompted with preset interview questions. All focus groups were recorded and transcribed by a professional transcription service. A thematic analysis was performed by 2 independent coders to identify themes using Dedoose software.

Results

The 3 most frequently occurring themes involved topics on protection, identified 40 times; family, identified 36 times; and the challenge of overcoming violence, identified 31 times. These themes often overlapped with one another, demonstrating the complexity of youth violence.

Conclusion

Providing a safe and judgement-free space for the youth to discuss issues of violence was beneficial for 3 reasons: (1) inclusion of youth perspectives allows violence prevention programs to be tailored to specific needs, (2) participants were able to deeply reflect on violence in their own lives and consider steps toward positive change, and (3) open communication encourages trust building and collaborative prevention efforts between the hospital and community.

Risk and Protective Factors for Gun Violence in Male Juvenile Offenders

OBJECTIVE

To examine several risk and protective factors as predictors of future gun violence among male juvenile offenders.

METHOD

Data came from a longitudinal cohort of 1,170 male juvenile offenders (42.1% Black; 34.0% Latino; 19.2% White) ages 14-19 who were adjudicated for a serious offense. Interviews were conducted with participants every 6 months for 3 years and then annually for 4 years. The outcome was self-reported gun violence assessed at each follow-up. The time-lagged predictors included several self-reported risk factors (i.e., gun carrying, non-gun violence, drug dealing, heavy drinking, poor impulse control, rewards for crime, peer gun carrying, peer non-gun delinquency, gang membership) and protective factors (i.e., concern for others, expectations, and aspirations for work/family, religious beliefs, adult social supports). The data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation models.

RESULTS

There were 266 participants who reported engaging in gun violence at one or more assessments. Gun carrying was a significant predictor of future gun violence; however, nearly half (49%) of the juveniles who reported gun carrying across the repeated assessments did not report engaging in gun violence. Besides gun carrying, several risk (i.e., drug dealing, heavy drinking, rewards for crime, gang membership, peer gun carrying) and protective (i.e., concern for others, aspirations for work/family, religious beliefs, adult social supports) factors significantly predicted gun violence, after controlling for their co-occurrence (Risk factor odds ratios = 1.18-1.50; Protective factor odds ratios =.44-.87; ps<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions designed to prevent gun violence among juvenile offenders should reduce targeted risk factors, while strengthening protective factors that may offset these risks.

School Attachment and Violent Attitudes Preventing Future Violent Behavior Among Youth

Evidence derived from social information theories support the existence of different underlying cognitive mechanisms guiding violent behavior through life. However, a few studies have examined the contribution of school variables to those cognitive mechanisms, which may help explain violent behavior later in life. The present study examines the relationship between school attachment, violent attitudes, and violent behavior over time in a sample of urban adolescents from the U.S. Midwest. We evaluated the influence of school attachment on violent attitudes and subsequent violent behavior. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypothesis in a sample of 579 participants (54.9% female, 81.3% African American). After controlling for gender and race, our results indicated that the relationship between school attachment and violent behavior over time is mediated by violent attitudes. The instrumentalization of the school context as a learning environment aiming to prevent future violent behavior is also discussed.

Protective and Risk Factors Associated With Youth Attitudes Toward Violence in Canada

Adolescents and young adults are the main perpetrators and victims of violence in almost all parts of the world. Theories of human behavior predict that the intention to behave violently is formed in part by the individual's attitude toward violent behavior. The purpose of this study was thus to investigate factors which both promote and protect against violent youth attitudes in Toronto, Canada's largest urban center. Multinomial logit models were fit separately for males and females in Grades 7 to 9 using cross-sectional data from the 2006 International Youth Survey. Odds ratios were estimated for the associations between levels of attitude toward violence and select factors in each of the biological, familial, peer-related, school and community domains. A graded effect of school attachment on violent attitude was observed for both sexes; male and female students who do not like school at all are 9.89 (3.15-31.0) and 6.49 (2.19-19.2) times as likely as those who like school a lot to have the "most" versus "least" violent attitude, respectively. For every one-unit increase in (negative) perception of neighborhood score, male and female students are 1.15 (1.07-1.23) and 1.20 (1.12-1.28) times as likely to have the "most" versus "least" violent attitude. The number of victimization events was associated with attitude toward violence in males but not females, while the reverse was true for academic performance and exposure to prejudice. Our findings highlight the important relationships between connections to social environments and youth attitudes toward violence, and identify modifiable factors which may be amenable to intervention. Sex-specific differences in the predictors of violent youth attitudes warrant additional investigation and have implications for policy design.

A long-term look at "early starters": Predicting adult psychosocial outcomes from childhood conduct problem trajectories

Current evidence suggests that multiple pathways of "early-starting" conduct problems exist, including persisting and declining trajectories. Since relatively little is known about the early onset-declining pathway, this study examined the long-term outcomes of different childhood conduct problem trajectories in a disproportionately high-risk sample (N = 754). Parents reported on children's conduct problems at six time points (kindergarten to grade 7). At age 25, psychosocial outcomes were assessed across five domains (psychopathology, substance use, risky sexual behavior, antisocial behavior, and adaptive outcomes). Four childhood conduct problem trajectories were identified: extremely high increasing (EHI; 3.7%), high stable (HS; 22.0%), moderate decreasing (MD; 38.8%), and low decreasing (LD; 35.5%). The EHI and HS groups displayed the poorest psychosocial functioning at age 25, whereas the LD group exhibited the most positive adjustment. Although individuals in the MD group displayed relatively positive adjustment on some outcomes, they displayed more psychopathology and lower well-being in adulthood than the LD group. These findings suggest that there are diverse pathways of early-starting conduct problems, and that all early starters are at risk for later maladjustment. However, the degree and type of risk is related to the severity of conduct problems throughout childhood.

Comparison of impulsivity, aggression and suicidality between prisoners in Nigeria who have committed homicide and those who have not

Most studies of prisoners, the nature of their offending and any related characteristics have been conducted in rich Western countries. In Nigeria, prison conditions differ in many important respects, key among them that prisoners share large communal spaces much of the time-up to 50 men sleeping in the same space as well as spending the day together. Our aim was to compare levels of impulsivity, aggression and suicide-related behaviours between prisoners in one prison in Nigeria who had committed a homicide and those who had not, allowing for socio-demographic factors. A case-control study design was employed with 102 homicide and an equal number of non-homicide offenders. Each participant was interviewed using the Abbreviated Barratt Impulsiveness Scale for impulsivity, the Modified Overt Aggression Scale for aggression, the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (Module C) for suicide-related behaviours, and a questionnaire for ascertaining socio-demographic characteristics. On bivariate analysis, motor impulsivity was higher among homicide offenders (p = .014) while non-planning was higher among non-homicide offenders (p = .006), but this relationship was affected by demographic variables. Physical aggression levels did not distinguish the two groups, but homicide offenders were less likely to record property-directed and auto-aggressive behaviours (p < .05). By contrast, on average, scores for suicide-related behaviours were lower among the homicide offenders (p = .001), with non-homicide offenders showing a mean score in the high-risk category (13.25; SD, 1.25). As motor impulsivity significantly differentiated the groups, this may be an important measure to add to any risk assessment battery when there are concerns about homicidal behaviours. In this sample, history of interpersonal aggression did not distinguish the groups. People with indications of self-harm or suicide-related behaviours may be at less risk of violence to others, but care should be taken in interpreting this finding as it is not entirely consistent with other findings.

Risk Assessment in Juvenile and Young Adult Offenders: Predictive Validity of the SAVRY and SAPROF-YV

Most juvenile risk assessment tools heavily rely on a risk-focused approach. Less attention has been devoted to protective factors. This study examines the predictive validity of protective factors in addition to risk factors, and developmental differences in psychometric properties of juvenile risk assessment. For a national Dutch sample of 354 juvenile and young adult offenders (16-26 years) risk and protective factors were retrospectively assessed at discharge from seven juvenile justice institutions, using the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk – Youth Version (SAPROF-YV). Results show moderate validity for both tools predicting general, violent, and nonviolent offending at different follow-up times. The SAPROF-YV provided incremental predictive validity over the SAVRY, and predictive validity was stronger for younger offenders. Evidently both the SAVRY and SAPROF-YV seem valid tools for the assessment of recidivism risk in juvenile and young adult offenders. Results highlight the importance of protective factors, especially in juvenile offenders, emphasizing the need for a balanced risk assessment.