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We examined the effect of multiple school-related, resilience-promotive factors against exposure to violence (ETV) at school among an urban sample of 6th-grade students (n = 441, 57% female, mean age = 11.81), 90% identify as students of color. Using multilevel mixed-effects linear models, we analyzed two waves of data (baseline and 4-month follow-up). ETV is associated with subsequent higher levels of victimization, cyberbullying victimization and aggressive behavior after controlling for demographics and outcome scores at baseline. A cumulative school promotive factor (CSPF) consisting of school change efficacy, school connectedness, and perceived trust at school has a compensatory effect (direct, opposite main effect) against the effects of ETV on aggressive behaviors and victimization. Finally, the CSPF has a protective (moderating) effect on aggressive behavior, victimization, and cyberbullying victimization.

In response to fears regarding high-profiled school shootings and firearm violence, schools transformed dramatically, implementing school safety measures such as school police, armed security, metal detectors, and active shooter drills. This study used nationally representative data to assess the relationship between school safety policies and student perceptions of school safety for Youth of Color in comparison to non-Hispanic, White youth. Results show that an increase in the total number of school safety policies -- as well as specific types of school safety policies (i.e. armed security personnel and student search practices) -- are associated with lower perceptions of school safety for Youth of Color relative to White youth. Findings may inform school administrators' decisions regarding implementation of school safety policies to prevent school violence, including school-level decisions around firearm injury prevention efforts.

Firearm injury is a significant public health concern among youth living in the United States. Youth with exposure to violence (ETV) are more susceptible to carrying and using a firearm. Few researchers, however, have examined psychological mechanisms undergirding the association between ETV and firearm aggression. Retaliatory attitudes have been discussed as a potential mediator linking ETV with firearm aggression. Moreover, organized activity participation may disrupt direct and indirect pathways connecting ETV to firearm aggression. We tested: (a) the mediating role of retaliatory attitudes in the ETV-firearm aggression link, and (b) the moderating role of organized activity participation among 570 youth with past year illicit drug use and seeking emerging department care in an urban emergency department (ages 14-24; 58.8% males). Using multigroup path analysis, ETV indirectly influenced firearm aggression through retaliatory attitudes for youth not involved organized activities. Organized activities also buffered the association between retaliatory attitudes (mediator) and firearm aggression (outcome). Organized activities may, therefore, prevent firearm aggression by reducing retaliatory attitudes among youth contending with ETV.

Racial discrimination jeopardizes a wide range of health behaviors for African Americans. Numerous studies demonstrate significant negative associations between racial discrimination and problematic alcohol use among African Americans. Culturally specific contexts (e.g., organized religious involvement) often function protectively against racial discrimination's adverse effects for many African Americans. Yet organized religious involvement may affect the degree to which racial discrimination increases problematic alcohol use resulting in various alcohol use trajectories. These links remain understudied in emerging adulthood marked by when individuals transition from adolescence to early adult roles and responsibilities. We use data from 496 African American emerging adults from the Flint Adolescent Study (FAS) to (a) identify multiple and distinct alcohol use trajectories and (b) examine organizational religious involvement's protective role. Three trajectory classes were identified: the "high/stable," (20.76% of sample; n = 103); "moderate/stable," (39.52% of sample; n = 196); and "low/rising," (39.72% of the sample; n = 197). After controlling for sex, educational attainment, and general stress, the interaction between racial discrimination and organized religious involvement did not influence the likelihood of classifying into the "moderate/stable" class or the "low/rising" class, compared with the "high/stable" class. These results suggest organized religious involvement counteracts, but does not buffer racial discrimination's effects on problematic alcohol use. Findings emphasize the critical need for culturally sensitive prevention efforts incorporating organized religious involvement for African American emerging adults exposed to racial discrimination. These prevention efforts may lessen the role of racial discrimination on health disparities related to alcohol use.

Limited research has been conducted on the state-level factors that may be associated with intentional school shootings. We obtained school shooting data from the "Washington Post" that identified any act of intentional interpersonal gunfire in a K-12 school over the course of two decades. We also compiled new data on active school shootings during the same twenty-year time period, which identified any attempted mass shooting incident in a K-12 school. We conducted a time-series analysis to measure the association of permissiveness of state firearm laws and state gun ownership with K-12 school shootings and active shootings. More permissive firearm laws and higher rates of gun ownership were associated with higher rates of both school shootings and active school shootings after controlling for critical covariates. Specific recommendations for K-12 schools to consider as they seek to prevent acts of intentional gunfire on school grounds are presented.

We examined the effectiveness of the "Say Something Anonymous Reporting System" (SS-ARS) program in improving school safety in a cluster randomized control trial among over 700 students in 19 middle schools in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The SS-ARS is a program that emphasizes youth engagement and trains youth to recognize warning signs of possible harmful behaviors and to safely report potential threats. We compared 3-month posttest reports of students' self-efficacy and intention to report warning signs and 9-month posttest perceptions of school and exposure to school violence in treatment versus control schools. Results show that SS-ARS improved both 3-month and 9-month self-efficacy and intention to report. The intervention also promotes perceptions of school safety and reduced violence exposure at 9-month posttest.

This systematic review synthesizes research on school-based crisis intervention protocols, descriptions, and evaluations. We performed a comprehensive literature search, and 60 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. We found an overwhelming lack of evaluation studies (n = 3), suggesting that interventions are being administered post-crises without evaluation. The most frequently named crisis intervention model was the Prevent/Prepare, Reaffirm, Evaluate, Provide and Respond, and Examine (PREPaRE) model (n = 6). All evaluation studies in the sample were observational, and most adopted qualitative methods of evaluation. Future studies are needed to evaluate crisis interventions to measure the fidelity, reliability, and effectiveness of such interventions.

Firearm-related violence is the leading cause of death for adolescents and can have lifelong ramifications, including to one's mental health and well-being. Through a scoping review of existing literature published since 1980, the current study describes nuanced pathways through which exposure to firearm violence (direct or indirect) can contribute to the development and exacerbation of posttraumatic symptomatology during adolescence (ages 10–19). Furthermore, this review explores moderators and mediators of this relationship, shedding light on the interplay between individual, familial, and societal factors. Findings from the reviewed studies (N = 16) demonstrate various links between direct and indirect firearm exposure and short- and long-term posttraumatic symptomatology in adolescents and point to necessary solutions that encompass consistent firearm violence prevention and mental health support. Results can inform future research, policy development, and intervention strategies to mitigate the adverse psychological effects of firearm violence on the vulnerable adolescent population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Youth violence, victimization, and bullying are pervasive in schools across the United States and are detrimental for learning and healthy development. K‐12 school safety is an increasingly urgent issue to research and understand from multiple perspectives. Physical and psychological safety in school is linked to better student and school outcomes and is fundamental to fostering well‐being and prosocial behavior. METHODS: Despite research demonstrating positive outcomes associated with school safety, there is no comprehensive conceptual model in the literature that considers precursors, strategies, mechanisms, and outcomes of school safety together. The current paper presents an equity‐centered comprehensive model of school safety, which is intended as a holistic representation of the multiple factors and pathways that contribute to school safety and positive youth development. RESULTS: This model can guide research and practice through an equity‐centered and comprehensive approach. This model can enable practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to make informed decisions and reach consensus regarding planning and decisions related to reducing violence and establishing supportive school environments. CONCLUSION: Our model suggests that a comprehensive approach can ensure the safety and well‐being of students and staff. By thinking ecologically, schools, communities, and stakeholders can ensure that all aspects of the school context are included in school safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe and identify the correlates of firearm purchasing at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic among US families with teenagers. In June-July 2020, we conducted a national survey of 2924 parents and their teenagers in the US. We report results from this survey to describe firearm purchasing behaviors following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate correlates of purchasing. Between the beginning of the pandemic and July 2020, 10% of households with teenagers purchased a firearm, and 3% became first-time firearm-owning households. Among firearm-owning households, firearm storage was associated with purchasing such that households that stored at least one firearm loaded and unlocked were more likely to purchase a firearm (OR: 2.02[1.07-3.79]) compared to households that stored all firearms unloaded and/or locked. Firearms purchased at the beginning of the pandemic were more likely to go to homes where at least one firearm was stored loaded and unlocked, which may contribute to increased risk for teen firearm injury and death., Author(s): Rebeccah L. Sokol [sup.1] , Marc A. Zimmerman [sup.2] [sup.3] , Laney Rupp [sup.2] [sup.3] , Justin E. Heinze [sup.2] , Rebecca M. Cunningham [sup.3] [sup.4] , Patrick M. [...]

School safety is a key feature of the learning environment. Research suggests if students perceive their environment as unsafe they will face a myriad of possible detrimental consequences. Using qualitative interviews, we explore the factors most consistently identified by students as important in their feelings of safety. We examine whether the type of building (elementary vs. high school) impacts the themes generated by students in their responses about feelings of safety in their school. Our results speak to how perceptions of school safety are formed, how students understand the role of other students and adults in mitigating or exacerbating violence, as well as the role external resources in their environments play in protecting youth from school violence.

Depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors that emerge during adolescence pose both short- and long-term negative outcomes. Though there is growing evidence that exposure to teen dating violence is also associated with a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors such as engaging in peer violence and substance use, less is known about the effects of specific forms of electronic dating violence (i.e., electronic harassment, electronic coercion, and electronic monitoring) across adolescence on depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors. Data were drawn from a 4-year prospective longitudinal study of two cohorts of youth followed from age 12 to 15 (n = 526, 52% female) and age 15 to 18 (n = 592, 53% female). Two mixed-effects models (stratified by cohort) were employed to evaluate depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior outcomes by exposure to electronic harassment, electronic coercion, and electronic monitoring, while accounting for verbal dating violence, physical dating violence, sexual dating violence, exposure to threat-based adverse childhood experiences, exposure to deprivation-based adverse childhood experiences, and gender across all four waves of data collection. Higher exposure to electronic sexual coercion was predictive of increased depression (β =.015, p =.018). Increased exposure to electronic sexual coercion (β =.007, p =.004) and electronic monitoring (β =.008, p =.045) were both predictive of more delinquency across adolescence. By delineating the effects of in-person verbal, physical, and sexual dating violence with unique electronic domains, we found unique additional risk from domains of electronic dating violence, which was particularly pronounced for youth who reported electronic sexual coercion. Electronic sexual coercion heightens the risk of depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors in males and females beyond the risk presented by in-person forms of dating violence and should be accounted for in prevention and intervention programs. Future research should explore the effect of perceived normativity on the prevalence of electronic harassment and subsequent influence on outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the data from a crowdsourced project seeking to replicate findings in independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. In this Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) initiative, 25 research groups attempted to replicate 10 moral judgment effects from a single laboratory's research pipeline of unpublished findings. The 10 effects were investigated using online/lab surveys containing psychological manipulations (vignettes) followed by questionnaires. Results revealed a mix of reliable, unreliable, and culturally moderated findings. Unlike any previous replication project, this dataset includes the data from not only the replications but also from the original studies, creating a unique corpus that researchers can use to better understand reproducibility and irreproducibility in science.

This crowdsourced project introduces a collaborative approach to improving the reproducibility of scientific research, in which findings are replicated in qualified independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. Our goal is to establish a non-adversarial replication process with highly informative final results. To illustrate the Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) approach, 25 research groups conducted replications of all ten moral judgment effects which the last author and his collaborators had “in the pipeline” as of August 2014. Six findings replicated according to all replication criteria, one finding replicated but with a significantly smaller effect size than the original, one finding replicated consistently in the original culture but not outside of it, and two findings failed to find support. In total, 40% of the original findings failed at least one major replication criterion. Potential ways to implement and incentivize pre-publication independent replication on a large scale are discussed.

ObjectiveAlthough major depressive disorder (MDD) and heavy episodic drinking (HED, 4+/5+ drinks in a single sitting for women/men) are common among young adults in college, the relationship between the two remains unclear. This study examined the association between MDD and HED in this population, the effect of gender on this association, and whether comorbid MDD and heavy alcohol use are associated with higher rates of mental health treatment engagement.MethodThe study comprised 61,561 (65.3% female) undergraduate students who answered an online survey on depression, alcohol use, and treatment engagement in the past year. Hierarchical linear regressions examined the association between MDD and alcohol use (HED and peak blood alcohol concentration [pBAC]) and whether gender moderated these associations. Logistic regressions were then conducted to examine the influence of MDD, heavy alcohol use, and gender on treatment engagement.ResultsStudents with MDD reported more frequent HED and higher pBAC than did students without MDD; this was especially true for female students. Rates of treatment engagement were higher among women than men, among students with MDD than students without MDD, and among female students with HED than women without HED.ConclusionsThe presence of an association between MDD and heavy alcohol use suggests the need for systematic screenings of both conditions. Low rates of treatment engagement in college students with MDD and heavy alcohol use calls for the development of strategies to engage this high-risk group in treatment.

Few researchers have explored future educational aspirations as a promotive factor against exposure to community violence in relation to adolescents violent behavior over time. The present study examined the direct and indirect effect of exposure to community violence prior to 9th grade on attitudes about violence and violent behavior in 12th grade, and violent behavior at age 22 via 9th grade future educational aspirations in a sample of urban African American youth (n = 681; 49% male). Multi-group SEM was used to test the moderating effect of gender. Exposure to violence was associated with lower future educational aspirations. For boys, attitudes about violence directly predicted violent behavior at age 22. For boys, future educational aspirations indirectly predicted less violent behavior at age 22. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Few researchers have explored future educational aspirations as a promotive factor against exposure to community violence in relation to adolescents' violent behavior over time. The present study examined the direct and indirect effect of exposure to community violence prior to 9th grade on attitudes about violence and violent behavior in 12th grade, and violent behavior at age 22 via 9th grade future educational aspirations in a sample of urban African American youth (n = 681; 49% male). Multi-group SEM was used to test the moderating effect of gender. Exposure to violence was associated with lower future educational aspirations. For boys, attitudes about violence directly predicted violent behavior at age 22. For boys, future educational aspirations indirectly predicted less violent behavior at age 22. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Background: Most U.S. K-12 schools have adopted safety tactics and policies like arming teachers and installing metal detectors, to address intentional school gun violence. However, there is minimal research on their effectiveness. Furthermore, sociodemographic factors may influence their implementation. Controlled studies are necessary to investigate their impact on gun violence and related disciplinary outcomes. Objective: The paper outlines the protocol for a case-control study examining gun violence prevention policies in U.S. K-12 schools. The study aims to investigate if there is an association between the total number and type of specific safety tactics and policies and the occurrence of intentional shootings in K-12 public schools, student disciplinary outcomes, and if urbanicity, economic, and racial factors modify these associations. Methods: We will create a nationally representative dataset for this study and ascertain a full census of case schools (schools that experienced intentional gunfire on the campus during school hours since 2015) through national school shooting databases. Matched control schools will be randomly selected from U.S. Department of Education's national database of all public schools. We will analyze 27 school safety strategies organized into seven key exposure groupings. Results: Supported by the National Institutes for Child Health and Development (R01HD108027-01) and having received Institutional Review Board approval, our study is currently in the data collection phase. Our analytical plan will determine the association between the number and type of school safety tactics and policies with the occurrence of intentional shootings and suspensions and expulsions in a national sample of approximately 650 K-12 public schools. Additional analyses will investigate the effect modification of specific covariates. Conclusion: As the first national, controlled study, its results will provide novel and needed data on the effectiveness of school safety tactics and policies in preventing intentional shootings at K-12 public schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pay-to-play fees in public schools place more support for sport participation in the hands of parents; this may disproportionately affect the ability of girls to garner the benefits of sports. Using an online survey of a national sample of parents (N = 814), we examined the relationship between parents' gender role beliefs, parents' beliefs about the benefits and monetary value of sports, and the types of sports their daughters play. The results indicate that parents placed somewhat greater value on sport for sons, than for daughters, both ideologically and financially. Gender role beliefs played a small, but significant role, in shaping parents' beliefs about their daughters' involvement in sport, and the types of sports their daughters play.

Risk and protective factors for firearm assault (FA) have been established, but little is known about factor preceding transitions in FA behavior. We modeled covariate effects on individuals' transitions in FA behavior (Yes/No) using inhomogeneous, continuous-time, Markov Chains. 3287 assessments were made across five initial biannual follow-ups, and two additional biannual follow-ups (an average of 2.2 years later) from a follow-on study; 2687 pairs of transitions were observed (2414 No-FA [right arrow] No-FA; 89 No-FA [right arrow] FA; 121 FA [right arrow] No-FA; 63 FA [right arrow] FA). Non-firearm peer violence (HR = 2.31, 95% CI [1.28,4.21]), firearm victimization (HR = 2.57, 95% CI [1.31,5.04]), and marijuana ASSIST sum (HR = 1.27, 95% CI [1.05,1.54]) all preceded transitions into FA, but not transitions out of FA. Delinquent peer associations both hastened transitions into FA (HR = 1.19, 95% CI [1.00,1.40]) and slowed transitions out of FA (HR = 0.84, 95% CI:[0.72,1.00]), with analogous findings regarding attitudes favoring retaliation. Efforts to prevent FA initiation should focus on those currently reporting firearm violence victimization, and on factors indicating an escalating delinquency trajectory (e.g. non-firearm violence, substance use), while programs focusing on peer influences and social norms may be effective at preventing FA regardless of current FA status., Author(s): Jason E. Goldstick [sup.1] [sup.2] , Patrick M. Carter [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Justin E. Heinze [sup.2] [sup.3] [sup.4] , Maureen A. Walton [sup.2] [sup.5] [sup.6] , Marc Zimmerman [...]

Anonymous reporting systems (ARS) have been widely implemented in schools across the United States as a violence prevention strategy. The current study systematically reviewed the published literature on ARS in U.S. schools (including public and private k-12 schools, colleges, and universities) over the past 25 years to examine the effectiveness of ARS as a school safety and violence prevention strategy. We conducted a comprehensive literature search which identified just four studies pertaining to ARS in schools. Of note, only one of these studies was published in a peer-reviewed journal. Results from this systematic review point to the need for more empirical studies on the effectiveness of ARS as a violence prevention strategy. Findings from this review also highlight the wide variation across schools in the type of ARS used, the mode of implementation, and associated educational and training components. This review is a first step in documenting an evidence-base for ARS which will be useful in guiding educators and policymakers about best practices for the use of ARS in schools. Impact Statement: Anonymous reporting systems (ARS) have been used as a violence prevention strategy in schools by providing a means for individuals within a school community to safely and securely report information about potential violence or concerns about mental health, for example, through an anonymous hotline or reporting app. Despite widespread implementation of ARS in schools, as well as mandates for reporting systems in schools in 21 states, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of ARS for school violence prevention, and information about best practices for ARS implementation is lacking. This systematic review aims to summarize the current research on the effectiveness of ARS as a school safety and violence prevention strategy, which is an important step in building an evidence-base to guide schools and policymakers about best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive interactions with police among youth can help establish long-lasting positive attitudes toward police (ATP). A particularly important aspect of the relationship between juveniles and the police is their willingness to report crime to law enforcement. Unfortunately, many adolescent victimizations go unreported. We used a sample of 5th and 6th grade students (N = 1,994) in two separate cohorts from two independent data collection intervals of a large-scale study in a Midwestern county to examine how early adolescent ATP, and other factors, such as demographic characteristics, delinquency involvement, prior victimization, fear of victimization, and the perceived risk of victimization, influences intentions to report crime to the police. Results indicated that students in both cohorts who had more positive ATP and a greater perceived risk of victimization reported greater intentions to report crimes to the police. Additionally, White students reported greater willingness to report to the police than Black students. Other results varied between the two cohorts. Implications for the association between ATP and willingness to report to the police are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the effects of family functioning trajectories on sexual risk behaviors and STI in adolescents. A sample of 850 predominantly (80%) Black adolescents from Michigan, United States, was assessed at baseline, 12, 24, and 36 months postbaseline. Adolescents were from working-class families with a mean age of 14.9 years (SD = 0.64, Range = 13.9 to 16.9) at baseline. Participants completed measures of family functioning at each time point. At 36 months postbaseline, levels of sexual risk behaviors, including sex initiation, unprotected sex, and alcohol or drug use before last sexual intercourse, and STIs were assessed. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) yielded 4-class solutions for family conflict and parent support. Adolescents with high or increasing family conflict trajectories, and low or decreasing family support trajectories, were at relatively greater risk of sexual risk behaviors and STIs. Yet, the additional trajectories differ across outcomes highlighting the complexities of the role of family functioning on sexual risk behaviors and STIs over time. Multiple Group LCGA indicate some findings vary as a function of gender.

The association between racial discrimination (discrimination) and stress-related alterations in the neuroendocrine response-namely, cortisol secretion-is well documented in African Americans (AAs). Dysregulation in production of cortisol has been implicated as a contributor to racial health disparities. Guided by Clark et al. (Am Psychol 54(10):805-816, 1999 (See CR18). doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.10.805) biopsychosocial model of racism and health, the present study examined the psychological pathways that link discrimination to total cortisol concentrations in AA males and females. In a sample of 312 AA emerging adults (45.5% males; ages 21-23), symptoms of anxiety, but not depression, mediated the relation between discrimination and total concentrations of cortisol. In addition, the results did not reveal sex differences in the direct and indirect pathways. These findings advance our understanding of racial health disparities by suggesting that the psychological consequences of discrimination can uniquely promote physiologic dysregulation in AAs., Author(s): Daniel B. Lee [sup.1] , Melissa K. Peckins [sup.2] , Justin E. Heinze [sup.3] , Alison L. Miller [sup.1] , Shervin Assari [sup.3] , Marc A. Zimmerman [sup.3] Author [...]