Guns and dolls: an exploration of violent behavior in girls

Sex differences in predictors of violent and non-violent juvenile offending

In response to concerns regarding the rise in female juvenile violent crime and the dearth of gender-specific research, this study aimed to identify predictors of violent offending in female offenders. Data were extracted from risk assessments of 586 male and female juvenile offenders (aged 11-17 years) conducted between 2005 and 2009 by the Youth Offending Service in Gloucestershire, an English county. Information regarding the young people's living arrangements, family and personal relationships, education, emotional/mental health, thinking and behavior, and attitudes to offending was recorded. Comparisons were made between the violent male offenders (N = 185), the violent female offenders (N = 113), the non-violent male offenders (N = 150), and the non-violent female offenders (N = 138) for these variables. These were followed by a multinomial logistic regression analysis. The findings indicated that engaging in self-harm was the best predictor of being a female violent offender, with the predictors of giving into pressure from others and attempted suicide nearing significance. Furthermore, non-violent females were significantly less likely to lose control of their temper and more likely to give in to pressure from others than their violent counterparts. Non-violent males were significantly less likely to lose control of their temper and more likely to self-harm and give in to pressure from others than violent males. Although many similarities existed between sexes for predictors of violent offending, the findings of this study indicate that more attention needs to be paid to the mental health of female offenders.

Girls' perceptions of violence and prevention

This research examines girls' perceptions of violence and its prevention. A purposive sample of 32 young women ages 12-18 who were incarcerated, affiliated with the juvenile justice system, or self-identified as living in disadvantaged neighborhoods participated in 1 of 4 focus groups. Recursive, iterative analysis yielded seven themes, including: violence is learned, violence is contagious, violence is unstoppable, violence is necessary to manage stress and conflict, violence is belonging, violence is connected to other crime, and maybe it can be stopped. These themes provide important insights into young women's thoughts on violence and may inform policies and programs as prevention strategies.

Girls and violence: a review of the literature

Violence and its prevention are key issues in community health nursing. Significant concern and controversy surrounds the current involvement of girls as witnesses, offenders, and victims of violence. This article provides a review of the literature about girls and violence, including the girls' roles as offenders, victims, and witnesses, predictors of violence, consequences associated with violence, and potential ideas for violence prevention. This information paves the way for a subsequent manuscript presenting a review of the literature about girls' perceptions of violence and its prevention and the results of a focus group study designed to determine girls' thoughts about community violence and prevention.

Early initiation of tobacco use in adolescent girls: key sociostructural influences

BACKGROUND

An important developmental task during adolescence is ego development. Millions of adolescents choose to initiate cigarette smoking at a young age as a result of transitional conflicts during this phase of normal developmental progression. Unfortunately, the decision to use tobacco compromises both the short- and long-term health status of smokers as well as the health of those around them.

OBJECTIVE

It was hypothesized that in early adolescence, girls choose to begin smoking cigarettes as a result of sociostructural influences, including media, peers, and family. The purpose of this study was to investigate what modifiable sociostructural variables will decrease the risk of initiating cigarette smoking before the age of 12 years among adolescent girls. The aim of the study was to develop a risk reduction model that increases the likelihood of healthy behavior choices in girls during early adolescence.

METHOD

Data collected for the New Hampshire Teen Assessment Project survey were used for this secondary data analysis. The original study included a multicommunity sample of 7,648 students from eight school districts enrolled in New Hampshire schools between January 2000 and October 2001. This current analysis focused only on the health behavior of the adolescent girls enrolled in the larger study (n = 3,775). With the use of a socioecological theoretical framework as a guide, this secondary data analysis first identified correlates of the early initiation of tobacco use using Pearson's correlations. Then, the data were explored for variables that decreased the relative risk for the early initiation of cigarette smoking among adolescent girls. The dependent variable of interest (i.e., early initiation of tobacco use) referred to girls who reported having smoked their first cigarette at or before the age of 12 years. Twenty-eight percent of the sample had initiated tobacco use before they were 12 years old. Multiple logistic regression was used to predict the final risk reduction model.

RESULTS

The first level of analysis confirmed previously reported evidence that there is a correlation between adolescent girls' initiation of smoking early (n = 1,047) and their engagement in other health risk behaviors such as daily use of alcohol (n = 859), daily use of marijuana (93%), and engaging in unprotected intercourse (15%). Next, logistic regression was used to predict a risk reduction model that demonstrated the importance of community, family, and school variables in decreasing the relative risk for the early initiation of tobacco use. Those sociostructural variables that decrease the relative risk for the initiation of tobacco use were noted in the following: (1) 71% of the girls who feel that it is important to contribute to their community (odds ratio [OR] = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-2.23) are less likely to initiate tobacco use and (2) 54% of the girls are more likely to feel that their community is a good place to live in (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.20-1.97), are more than twice as likely to have parents who think smoking is wrong (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.77-2.48), are 9% more likely to have parents whom they can talk to when they have personal problems (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.02-1.17), and are 38% more likely to enjoy school.

DISCUSSION

The findings of this study may be an important portal for prevention intervention in the area of early adolescent tobacco use. A risk reduction model is presented based on the theory that both the environment and modeling play an important role in the development of health behavior.

Adolescent girls speak about violence in their community

Adolescent girls growing up in urban environments have been placed at increased risk for being exposed to violence in their communities. Yet few studies have examined their perceptions of the risk factors, violence, and the pressures they face on a daily basis. The present research describes two adolescent girls' perspectives concerning the challenges, fears, hopes, risks, and pressures they have experienced growing up in their community. The results have implications for violence intervention and prevention programs with adolescent girls living in urban environments.

Fire and behavior: exploring intrapsychic trauma in arson survivors

Fire, one of the four mighty elements of life, along with earth, air, and water, has long been one of the most destructive, fascinating, and useable forces for those who would wreak havoc on the lives of others. A pervasive and significant public health problem for many families, arson-related fires cause the loss of hundreds of lives each year and thousands suffer burns and many other injuries as a result of these crimes. Arson that results in loss of life and property may result in an altered world view and produce other complicated issues for survivors to navigate.