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Rapa LJ, Katsiyannis A, Scott SN, Durham O. School Shootings in the United States: 1997-2022. Pediatrics 2024; 153:e2023064311. [PMID: 38433681 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-064311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gun violence in the United States is a public health crisis. In 2019, gun injury became the leading cause of death among children aged birth to 19 years. Moreover, the United States has had 57 times as many school shootings as all other major industrialized nations combined. The purpose of this study was to understand the frequency of school-related gun violence across a quarter century, considering both school shootings and school mass shootings. METHODS We drew on 2 publicly available datasets whose data allowed us to tabulate the frequency of school shootings and school mass shootings. The databases contain complementary data that provide a longitudinal, comprehensive view of school-related gun violence over the past quarter century. RESULTS Across the 1997-1998 to 2021-2022 school years, there were 1453 school shootings. The most recent 5 school years reflected a substantially higher number of school shootings than the prior 20 years. In contrast, US school mass shootings have not increased, although school mass shootings have become more deadly. CONCLUSIONS School shootings have risen in frequency in the recent 25 years and are now at their highest recorded levels. School mass shootings, although not necessarily increasing in frequency, have become more deadly. This leads to detrimental outcomes for all the nation's youth, not just those who experience school-related gun violence firsthand. School-based interventions can be used to address this public health crisis, and effective approaches such as Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports and services should be used in support of students' mental health and academic and behavioral needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J Rapa
- Department of Education and Human Development, College of Education, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Antonis Katsiyannis
- Department of Education and Human Development, College of Education, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Samantha N Scott
- Department of Education and Human Development, College of Education, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
| | - Olivia Durham
- Department of Education and Human Development, College of Education, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
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Astor RA, Benbenishty R, Capp GP, Watson KR, Wu C, McMahon SD, Worrell FC, Reddy LA, Martinez A, Espelage DL, Anderman EM. How school policies, strategies, and relational factors contribute to teacher victimization and school safety. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 52:39-57. [PMID: 37615226 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.23084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we examined how school policies and strategies (i.e., positive discipline, hardening strategies, and positive behavioral strategies) affect teacher relational factors and teacher reports of victimization and safety. Specifically, we examined the mediational roles of teacher support of student learning, maltreatment of students by teachers, and teachers' differential treatment of students in schools. Using a sample of 6643 pre-K-12th-grade teachers, path analysis results revealed that positive behavior strategies, hardening strategies, and positive discipline were indirectly associated with teacher victimization and sense of safety. Additionally, teachers' perceptions of other teachers maltreating students had the greatest contributions to their sense of safety and victimization by students. Positive discipline was directly and indirectly associated with teacher victimization and safety. Implications and directions for future studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Avi Astor
- Luskin School of Public Affairs and School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Rami Benbenishty
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gordon P Capp
- Department of Social Work, California State University, Fullerton, California, USA
| | - Kate R Watson
- Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Chaoyue Wu
- Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Susan D McMahon
- Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Linda A Reddy
- Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - Dorothy L Espelage
- School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Eric M Anderman
- Department of Educational Studies, The Ohio State University
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Flannery DJ, Scholer SJ, Noriega I. Bullying and School Violence. Pediatr Clin North Am 2023; 70:1153-1170. [PMID: 37865437 DOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2023.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Rates of traditional bullying have remained stable (30%) but rates of cyberbullying are increasing rapidly (46% of youth). There are significant long-term physical and mental health consequences of bullying especially for vulnerable youth. Multi-component school-based prevention programs that include caring adults, positive school climate, and supportive services for involved youth can effectively reduce bullying. While bullying has emerged as a legitimate concern, studies of surviving perpetrators to date suggest bullying is not the most significant risk factor of mass school shootings. Pediatricians play a critical role in identification, intervention, awareness, and advocacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Flannery
- Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Research and Education, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 11402 Bellflower Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44102, USA.
| | - Seth J Scholer
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, D0T8 2200 Childrens Way, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Ivette Noriega
- Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Research and Education, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 11402 Bellflower Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44102, USA
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Katsiyannis A, Rapa LJ, Whitford DK, Scott SN. An Examination of US School Mass Shootings, 2017-2022: Findings and Implications. ADVANCES IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2022; 7:66-76. [PMID: 35999866 PMCID: PMC9388351 DOI: 10.1007/s41252-022-00277-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gun violence in the USA is a pressing social and public health issue. As rates of gun violence continue to rise, deaths resulting from such violence rise as well. School shootings, in particular, are at their highest recorded levels. In this study, we examined rates of intentional firearm deaths, mass shootings, and school mass shootings in the USA using data from the past 5 years, 2017-2022, to assess trends and reappraise prior examination of this issue. METHODS Extant data regarding shooting deaths from 2017 through 2020 were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the web-based injury statistics query and reporting system (WISQARS), and, for school shootings in particular (2017-2022), from Everytown Research & Policy. RESULTS The number of intentional firearm deaths and the crude death rates increased from 2017 to 2020 in all age categories; crude death rates rose from 4.47 in 2017 to 5.88 in 2020. School shootings made a sharp decline in 2020-understandably so, given the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent government or locally mandated school shutdowns-but rose again sharply in 2021. CONCLUSIONS Recent data suggest continued upward trends in school shootings, school mass shootings, and related deaths over the past 5 years. Notably, gun violence disproportionately affects boys, especially Black boys, with much higher gun deaths per capita for this group than for any other group of youth. Implications for policy and practice are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonis Katsiyannis
- Department of Education and Human Development, College of Education, Clemson University, 101 Gantt Circle, Room 407 C, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
| | - Luke J. Rapa
- Department of Education and Human Development, College of Education, Clemson University, 101 Gantt Circle, Room 409 F, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
| | - Denise K. Whitford
- Steven C. Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education, Purdue University, 100 N. University Street, BRNG 5154, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098 USA
| | - Samantha N. Scott
- Department of Education and Human Development, College of Education, Clemson University, 101 Gantt Circle, Room G01A, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
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Carter SL, Crews C, Lee J, Li X, Noble N. Acceptability of School Shooting Prevention Procedures Among Parents. JOURNAL OF PREVENTION (2022) 2022; 43:359-374. [PMID: 35286551 DOI: 10.1007/s10935-022-00671-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
While gun violence has been declared a public health crisis, there is limited information concerning stakeholders such as parents' perceptions of acceptable procedures to prevent this violence in schools. This study explored 114 parents' degree of acceptance for an assortment of school shooting prevention interventions. Specifically, this study compared security measures, threat assessment, zero tolerance, and an exploratory procedure. While all procedures were deemed acceptable, parents rated the threat assessment as most acceptable, followed closely by security measures, which were significantly more acceptable than the exploratory procedure, and finally the zero tolerance procedures. Discussion is provided on possible factors influencing the acceptance of these procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy L Carter
- Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership, College of Education, Texas Tech University, FedEx/UPS: 3008 18th Street, P.O. Box 41071, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1071, USA.
| | - Charles Crews
- Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership, College of Education, Texas Tech University, FedEx/UPS: 3008 18th Street, P.O. Box 41071, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1071, USA
| | - Jaehoon Lee
- Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership, College of Education, Texas Tech University, FedEx/UPS: 3008 18th Street, P.O. Box 41071, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1071, USA
| | - Xinyang Li
- Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership, College of Education, Texas Tech University, FedEx/UPS: 3008 18th Street, P.O. Box 41071, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1071, USA
| | - Nicole Noble
- Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership, College of Education, Texas Tech University, FedEx/UPS: 3008 18th Street, P.O. Box 41071, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1071, USA
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Mayer MJ, Nickerson AB, Jimerson SR. Preventing School Violence and Promoting School Safety: Contemporary Scholarship Advancing Science, Practice, and Policy. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/2372966x.2021.1949933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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