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Christensen JT, Jones MS, Hoffmann JP. Bullying Victimization and Youth's Likelihood of Carrying a Handgun. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2024:8862605241270006. [PMID: 39126167 DOI: 10.1177/08862605241270006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Recent research suggests that bullying victimization increases the risk of handgun carrying among adolescents. Yet, little to no research has considered whether different types of bullying victimization (i.e., physical, verbal, cyber) shape handgun-carrying behaviors among youth. Understanding these relationships can, however, inform intervention efforts addressing youths' access to and motives for carrying handguns. The purposes of this study are twofold. First, we establish whether there is a relationship between bullying victimization and youth handgun carrying. Second, we seek to determine whether certain types of bullying victimization are associated more strongly with handgun carrying than others, using data from the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS, n = 47,572), a statewide representative sample of Florida middle school and high school students. The results from multinomial regression models indicate that physical bullying and cyberbullying victimization were associated with an elevated risk of carrying a handgun in the past 12 months. Interventions that underscore the importance of comprehensive anti-bullying interventions that not only address traditional physical aggression among adolescents but also mitigate the evolving challenges posed by unsupervised digital spaces may reduce the risk of handgun carrying.
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Cardwell E, Hoff RA, Garakani A, Krishnan-Sarin S, Potenza MN, Zhai ZW. An exploratory study of anxiety-motivated gambling in adolescents: Associations with minority status and gambling, health and functioning measures. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 151:445-453. [PMID: 35598502 PMCID: PMC9204846 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Gambling and anxiety are major public health concerns in adolescents and have been linked to emotion dysregulation and mood-modulating behaviors. While previous studies have shown links between positively reinforcing excitement-motivated gambling, health and functioning measures, and gambling perceptions and behavioral correlates in adolescents, few studies have examined such relationships relative to negatively reinforcing anxiety-motivated gambling (AMG). This study systematically examined relationships between adolescents reporting gambling to relieve anxiety (compared to those who gambled but did not report AMG) and measures of health/functioning and gambling-related measures. Participants included 1,856 Connecticut high-school students. Chi-square and logistic regression models were conducted. AMG was reported by 6.41% of the sample and was associated with identifying with a minority group (Black, Asian-American, Hispanic), at-risk/problem gambling, more permissive attitudes towards gambling, and higher odds of heavy alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, and violence-related measures. Adolescents with AMG were more likely to report non-strategic gambling, and gambling to escape/relieve dysphoria and due to feeling pressure. Additional between-group differences were found for gambling types, locations, motivations, and partners. Together, AMG may represent a mood-modulating behavior indicative of multiple problematic concerns, suggesting that emotional dysregulation may be an important factor in understanding the relationship between anxiety, problem gambling, and risky behaviors in youth. Additionally, the negative reinforcing motivations to gamble to relieve anxiety may be relevant particularly to adolescents from underrepresented minority racial/ethnic groups, and the specific factors underlying this relationship warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Cardwell
- Program in Neuroscience, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, 05753, United States.
| | - Rani A Hoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States.
| | - Amir Garakani
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States; Silver Hill Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, New Canaan, CT, 06840, United States; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, United States.
| | | | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States; Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, 06109, United States; Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, 06519, United States; Department of Neuroscience and Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States.
| | - Zu Wei Zhai
- Program in Neuroscience, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, 05753, United States.
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Kreski NT, Chen Q, Olfson M, Cerdá M, Martins SS, Mauro PM, Branas CC, Rajan S, Keyes KM. Experiences of Online Bullying and Offline Violence-Related Behaviors Among a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adolescents, 2011 to 2019. THE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH 2022; 92:376-386. [PMID: 35080013 PMCID: PMC9014809 DOI: 10.1111/josh.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Being bullied online is associated with being bullied in school. However, links between online bullying and violence-related experiences are minimally understood. We evaluated potential disparities in these associations to illuminate opportunities to reduce school-based violence. METHODS We used five cohorts of Youth Risk Behavior Survey national cross-sectional data (2011-2019, Ntotal = 73 074). We used survey-weighted logistic and multinomial models to examine links between online bullying and five school-based violence-related experiences: offline bullying, weapon carrying, avoiding school due to feeling unsafe, being threatened/injured with a weapon, and physical fighting. We examined interactions by sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual identity. RESULTS Being bullied online was positively associated with all offline violence-related behaviors. Groups with stronger associations between online bullying and physical fighting, including boys, adolescents whose sexual identity was gay/lesbian or unsure, and many adolescents of color (Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander adolescents), had stronger associations between online bullying and either weapon carrying or avoiding school. CONCLUSIONS Online bullying is not an isolated harmful experience; many marginalized adolescents who experience online bullying are more likely to be targeted in school, feel unsafe, get in fights, and carry weapons. Reduction of online bullying should be prioritized as part of a comprehensive school-based violence prevention strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah T Kreski
- Data Analyst, , Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 733, New York, NY 10032
| | - Qixuan Chen
- Associate Professor, , Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 644, New York, NY 10032
| | - Mark Olfson
- Professor, , Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 644, New York, NY 10032; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1051 Riverside Drive, Box 24, New York, NY 10032
| | - Magdalena Cerdá
- Professor, , Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 180 Madison Avenue 4-16, New York, NY 10016
| | - Silvia S Martins
- Professor, , Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, 5th Floor, Room 509, New York, NY 10032
| | - Pia M Mauro
- Assistant Professor, , Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 507, New York, NY 10032
| | - Charles C Branas
- Professor, , Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 1508, New York, NY 10032
| | - Sonali Rajan
- Associate Professor, , Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teacher's College; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, #724, New York, NY, 10032
| | - Katherine M Keyes
- Professor, , Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, #724, New York, NY 10032
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Differences in associations between problematic video-gaming, video-gaming duration, and weapon-related and physically violent behaviors in adolescents. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 121:47-55. [PMID: 31765836 PMCID: PMC7102509 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Seemingly mixed findings have been reported on possible relationships between video-gaming and violent or aggressive behaviors. Given the prevalence of gaming in adolescents and potential harms associated with violent behaviors, relationships between problematic gaming, gaming engagement, and risk behaviors involving weapons and physical violence require further research. This study examined in a large sample of high-school students the relationships between problem-gaming severity, gaming duration, and violence-related measures including weapon-carrying, having been threatened by someone with a weapon, perceived insecurity, physical fights and serious fights leading to injuries. Potential moderation by sensation-seeking and impulsivity was also tested. Participants were 3,896 Connecticut high-school adolescents. Chi-square, logistic regression, and moderation models were conducted. Adolescents with at-risk/problem gaming, compared to low-risk and non-gaming adolescents, reported more weapon-carrying, having been threatened with weapons, feeling unsafe at school, and serious fighting leading to injury. Among those reporting gaming, weekly time spent gaming was associated with problem-gaming severity. Those with longer (versus shorter) gaming durations were more likely to report weapon-carrying and feeling unsafe at school. Sensation-seeking moderated associations between at-risk/problem gaming and weapon-carrying frequency. Associations between gaming quantity and problem-gaming severity and measures of weapon-carrying and physical violence in adolescents suggest that understanding further their mechanistic relationships may be important in promoting safer developmental trajectories for youth. Future longitudinal studies may provide important insight into the etiologies underlying these relationships and such information may help develop more effective prevention and intervention strategies.
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Zhai ZW, Hoff RA, Magruder CF, Steinberg MA, Wampler J, Krishnan-Sarin S, Potenza MN. Weapon-carrying is associated with more permissive gambling attitudes and perceptions and at-risk/problem gambling in adolescents. J Behav Addict 2019; 8:508-521. [PMID: 31505965 PMCID: PMC7044628 DOI: 10.1556/2006.8.2019.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS A recent call to action highlighted the need to understand the relationship between problem gambling, violence, and health/functioning. As weapon-carrying and gambling behaviors are prevalent in adolescents, this study systematically examined relationships between weapon-carrying status and measures of problem gambling severity and gambling perceptions and attitudes, as well as how weapon-carrying status moderated relationships between problem gambling severity and measures of health/functioning and gambling behavior. METHODS Participants were 2,301 Connecticut high-school adolescents. χ2 and logistic regression models were conducted. RESULTS Weapon-carriers reported greater problem gambling severity, more permissive gambling perceptions, greater parental approval of gambling, and more family gambling concerns, compared to non-weapon-carriers. At-risk/problem gambling was more strongly associated with family, peers, and adult gambling partners among non-weapon-carriers (vs. weapon-carriers) and with machine gambling among weapon-carriers (vs. non-weapon-carriers). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Greater problem gambling severity and more permissive gambling perceptions and perceived parental approval of gambling in weapon-carrying adolescents suggest that parent-child relationships are important to be considered in prevention efforts. The moderated relationship by weapon-carrying status between problem gambling severity and gambling partners suggests a problem gambling risk group that may be less linked to gambling with traditional social support groups, and this group may benefit from targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zu Wei Zhai
- Department of Psychology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, USA
| | - Rani A. Hoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Jeremy Wampler
- Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Problem Gambling Services, Middletown, CT, USA
| | | | - Marc N. Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA,The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA,The Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA,Department of Neuroscience and Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA,Corresponding author: Marc N. Potenza, MD, PhD; Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; Phone: +1 203 974 7356; Fax: +1 203 974 7366; E-mail:
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