Impact of Violence on At-Risk Youth in Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands

• NCJ Number: 237777
• Journal: Victims and Offenders Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: October - December 2011 Pages: 341-355
• Author(s): Jennifer Butters; Lana Harrison; Dirk J. Korf; Serge Brochu; Patricia G. Erickson
• Date Published: October 2011
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): RO1-DA11691-01A1; 3100.0037; 3150-U4; 410-2002-1154
• Sponsoring Agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Crime Prevention Centre; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper examines how male and female youth respond to violence.

Abstract

Concerns over youth violence and victimization are widespread, but it is rare that national trends can be compared with identical methods. This paper provides a cross-national examination of internalized, externalized, and help-seeking responses to weapon-related victimization among 1,398 at-risk male and female youth between the ages of 14 and 17 in Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, and Amsterdam. Analyses were conducted of seven potential responses to weapon-related victimization. Striking similarities in trends were observed: becoming more aggressive, becoming more afraid or cautious, starting to carry a weapon, and increasing feelings of depression were predominant responses in each city. However, clear patterns emerged that showed fewer Amsterdam youth reported these reactionswhile more youth in Toronto were affected. Logistic regression revealed a strong impact of site and previous weapon-related violence on youths' responses to violence. The paper concludes with a discussion of challenges that emerged in the process of conducting a cross-national project and analyzing youth victimization in three countries. (Published Abstract)