A Profile of Adolescent and Young Adult Violence in America

1
A Profile of Adolescent and Young Adult Violence
in America

• National Adolescent Health Information Center and
  The Public Policy Analysis Education
  Center for Middle Childhood, Adolescent
  Young Adult Health
• Department of Pediatrics Institute for Health
  Policy Studies
  University of California, San Francisco

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Note Sample Headlines. Add Your Own Current Ones.
Fighting Boredom Taking a Cue from Fight
Club, Bored Teens Brawl for Entertainment-with
Little Regard to Injury, Police say.
Parents and Teenagers Disagree Sharply Over
Causes and Solutions for Youth Violence According
to New DISCOVERY/TIME Poll.
VIOLENCE IS NOT THE ANSWERYOU ARE.
School Shootings A Symptom of a Larger
Problem.
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Prologue

• There is a tremendous need to identify new
  approaches to decrease the high incidence of
  violence among Americas youth.
• Becoming familiar with the statistical profile is
  a first step.

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Prologue

• This presentation covers
• An Overview of Leading Causes of Death for
  Adolescents and Young Adults,
• Trends in Violence among Adolescents and Young
  Adults,
• Gender and Racial/Ethnic differences in Violence,
  and
• A Profile of Sexual Violence.

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Overview

• The Healthy People 2010 National Health
  Objectives Recognize the Health Threats to
  Americas Youth
• Decrease violent behavior among adolescents and
  young adults by reducing homicides,
• Reduce physical fighting among adolescents from
  36 to 32, and
• Reduce weapon carrying by adolescents on school
  property from 6.9 to 4.9.

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While the Headlines Present One
Image...
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Since Peaking in the Early 1990s,
Adolescent/Young Adult Homicide Rates have Fallen
Steadily
Deaths per 100,000

• Male Homicide Trends by Race/Ethnicity,
  Ages 10-24, 1990-2001
• Source National Center for Injury Prevention,
  2004

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What are the Leading Causes of Death Among
Adolescents and Young Adults?
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Leading Causes of DeathAdolescents/Young Adults
Ages 10-24, 2001
Homicide is the Second Leading Cause of Death for
Adolescents and Young Adults

• Source National Center for Injury Prevention,
  2004

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Homicide Rates Increase Dramatically throughout
Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Deaths per 100,000

• Homicide Rates by Age, 2001
• Source National Center for Injury Prevention and
  Control, 2004

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What are the patterns of Homicide... ...By
Ethnic/Racial Groups? By Males and Females?
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Homicide is the Leading Cause of Death for
Adolescent and Young Adult Black Males

• Homicide Rates by Gender Race/Ethnicity,
  Ages 10-24, 2001
• Source National Center for Injury Prevention and
  Control, 2004

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Adolescent/Young Adult Males are 5 times More
Likely than Females to be Homicide Victims
Deaths per 100,000

• Homicide Rates by Age Gender, 2001
• Source National Center for Injury Prevention and
  Control, 2004

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Four out of Five Adolescent and Young Adult
Homicide Deaths involve Firearm Use

• Homicides w/Firearm Involvement by Age, 1990
  2001
• Source National Center for Injury Prevention and
  Control, 2004

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Apart from Homicide, What Are Other Causes of
Serious Adolescent Victimization?
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The fight that I witnessed has made me think
about violencethat fight was not my fight--its
participants were not my friends. But they could
have been. Anna, age 14
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In 1998, 1.4 million Adolescents/Young Adults
were Victims of a Non-Fatal, Serious Violent Crime
Cases per 100,000

• Violent Crime Victimization, Ages 12-24, 1998
• Sources Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000
  National Center for Injury Prevention and
  Control, 2002

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Myth While Adults Fear that Violence by
Adolescents is Committed Against Adults...

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More than Two-Thirds of Violent Crimes Committed
by Adolescents have Adolescent Victims

• Age of Victim in Violent Crimes Committed by
  Adolescents Ages 12-20, 1999
• Source Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001

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Male High School Students Engage in
Violence-Related Behaviors More Often than Females

• Violence-Related Behavior by Gender,
  High School Students, 2003
• Source YRBSS, 2004

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Schools with Gangs are 3 times More Likely to
Report Violent Behavior than Schools without Gangs

• Violence-Related Events Reported by Students,
  by Presence of Gangs in Schools,
  1995
• Source Chandler et al., 1998

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What is the Profile of Sexual Violence?
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The Majority of Reported Rapes Occur During
Adolescence and Young Adulthood

• Age of Victim at Time of First Rape
• Source Tjaden Thoennes, 2000

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Female Adolescents are 2 times More Likely than
Males to be the Victim of Rape

• Forced Sexual Intercourse by Gender, High School
  Students, 2003
• Source YRBSS, 2004

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The Perpetrator is Known by the Victim in 86 of
Rape Cases among Children and Adolescents

• Rape Cases Among Children Adolescents Ages
  0-18, by Type of Perpetrator
• Source Tjaden Thoennes, 2000

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Wrap-Up

• Adults think that the only way to solve youth
  violence is to lock us upwe crave love, but all
  you want to give us is hate.
• Eric, age 15

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Wrap-Up

• Reducing violence-related mortality requires
  several elements
• Conduct needs assessment to review adolescent
  health promotion strategies.
• Adapt Best Practices, including youth
  development.
• Implement multiple strategies throughout
  communities.
• Support programs that focus on adolescent health
  issues.
• Source Ozer et al., 2003

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References

• Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of
  Justice. (2000). Criminal Victimization in U.S.,
  1998 Statistical Tables. Available online at
  http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvictgen.htm
• Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of
  Justice. (2001). Criminal Victimization in U.S.,
  1999 Statistical Tables. Available online at
  http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvictgen.htm
• Chandler, K.A., Chapman, C.D., Rand, M.R.,
  Taylor, B.M. (1998). Students Reports of School
  Crime 1989 and 1995. NCES 98-241/NCJ-169607.
  Washington, DC U.S. Departments of Education and
  Justice.
• National Center for Injury Prevention. (2004).
  Mortality reports database Online Database.
  Atlanta, GA Centers for Disease Control and
  Prevention,National Center for Injury Prevention
  and Control. Available online at
  http//www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/
• Source Ozer, E.M., Park, M.J., Paul, T.,
  Brindis, C.D, Irwin, C.E., Jr. (2003).
  Americas Adolescents Are They Healthy? San
  Francisco, CA University of California, San
  Francisco, National Adolescent Health Information
  Center. Available online at http//nahic.ucsf.e
  du/index.php/ data/article/americas_adolescents_ar
  e_they_healthy_2003/
• Tjaden, P., Thoennes, N. (2000). Full Report of
  the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of
  Violence Against Women Findings From the
  National Violence Against Women Survey.
  Washington, DC National Institute of Justice,
  U.S. Department of Justice.
• For more information about the 21 Critical Health
  Objectives and the National Initiative to Improve
  Adolescent Young Adult Health, please visit
  http//nahic.ucsf.edu/nationalinitiative

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National Adolescent Health Information Center
and Public Policy Analysis Education Center
for Middle Childhood, Adolescent Young Adult
Health

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