NDSU Department of Child Development and Family Science
North Dakota Department of Human Services
October 1998
Harriett Light, Ph.D.
Professor, Child Development and Family Science
College of Human Development and Education
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 58105
Fax:701-231-7174
Phone:701-231-7099
e-mail: light@badlands.nodak.edu
This study utilized data from the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the North Dakota Department of Health. The main purpose was to determine the extent of reported experiences with weapons, theft and damage to personal property, physical fights, and suicide in the lives of North Dakota adolescents. The subjects were 1,096 (551 males, 545 females) ninth through twelfth graders in 18 North Dakota schools. Comparisons were made according to grade and gender. Results indicate several areas of concern for parents and professionals who work with adolescents. One of the most alarming statistics was that one out of every four adolescents reported they had seriously considered ending their own life within the past year. When separated by gender, nearly one of every three females said they considered killing themselves.
The world of today's adolescents holds opportunities and advantages that were inconceivable for their parents and grandparents. Unfortunately, their world also holds greater risks and dangers. Along with opportunities through technology, advanced education, and exciting careers, today's adolescents must face the dangers of drug availability, violence, sexually transmitted diseases, depression, and schoolrelated problems (Santrock, 1998). Researchers have estimated that as many as onefourth of American adolescents are at high risk for problems that prevent them from sharing in their generation's opportunities (Dryfoos, 1995).
Violence appears to be a common part of the adolescent world. When adolescents die, it is likely to be from violence; the three leading causes of death for this age group are accidents, homicide, and suicide (Papalia & Olds, 1998). The United States leads the industrialized nations in the rate of interpersonal personalized violence (Fingerhut, 1992). In fact, it is argued that the United States is a culture of violence that is responsible for the high prevalence of violence among adolescents (Berkowitz, 1994; Dacey & Kenny, 1997). These researchers point to the large body of research that supports the idea that violence on television and film plays a significant role in teaching young people to be physically aggressive. Other researchers have found violent behavior is related to alcohol and other drug use for both females and males (Valois, 1995).
Male adolescents have been found to be far more likely to get in physical fights and to be arrested for violent activity than females. In fact, Earls (1993) stated that males are 10 times more likely to be arrested for violence than are females. Several reasons, ranging from biology (hormones) to socialization (nurturing) have been offered as explanations for the gender differences. However, experts have recently cautioned that it is incorrect to conclude females are not aggressive; it may be that their aggression is more indirect and less obvious than male aggression (Dacy & Kenny, 1997; Hyde & Plant, 1995).
How prevalent is violence in the adolescent world? According to the United States Department of Education (1993), 16% of seniors reported they had been threatened with a weapon at school and 7% said they had been injured with a weapon. One of every five high school students (20%) reported they routinely carried a firearm, knife, or club.
Suicide is the ultimate physical violence against oneself. Adolescent suicide has risen at an alarming rate. Among 10- to 14-year-olds, the suicide rate has doubled from 1980 to 1991 and increased by approximately 30% among 15- to 19-year-olds
( U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1994). Suicidal adolescents tend to be depressed, hopeless, impulsive, and angry (Wilson, 1991), have high selfblame and a belief that things will never get any better (Shagle & Barber, 1994).
To what extent does the darkness of violence, theft, and suicide exist in the world of North Dakota adolescents? This question was explored in this study.
The main purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which North Dakota adolescents reported experiences with weapons, theft and damage to their personal property, involvement in physical fights, and suicide in their lives. Secondary purposes were to compare the rates of these experiences between males and females and among 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders. However, only trends and not significant differences are reported in this article.
Data from the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), conducted by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) and the North Dakota Department of Health, was utilized in this study. The YRBS was administered to 1,096 students in 18 public high schools in North Dakota during the spring of 1997. All public schools were included in the sampling frame. Schools were selected systematically with probability proportional to enrollment in grades 9 through 12 using a random start. All classes in a required subject or all classes meeting during a particular period of the day were included in the sampling frame. Systematic equal probability sampling with a random start was used to select classes from each school that participated in the study (NDDPI, 1997).
The YRBS was developed by the Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in cooperation with 71 state and local departments of education, to monitor risk behaviors in six categories: unintentional and intentional injuries, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors, dietary behaviors and physical activity. The YRBS is a selfreport, multiple choice instrument (NDDPI, 1997).
There were 1096 subjects in this study. The demographic characteristics were: 551 males and 545 females; 293 subjects (28%) were 9th graders, 340 (31%) were 10th graders, 284 (26%) were in 11th grade, and 177 (16%) were 12th graders.
Eight percent ( N=92) of all students in this study reported they carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property at least one day during the past 30 days. Four percent (N=46) said they carried a weapon on six or more days during the 30 day time period. The highest number of weaponcarrying students were in the 9th grade (30%, N = 34), followed by 10th grade (28%, N = 26), 11th grade (17%, N = 16) and the lowest number were in 12th grade ( 16%, N = 15). Of the total number of weaponcarriers, 89% (N = 82) were males and 11% (N=10) were females.
Six percent of all students in this study (N = 61) reported they had been threatened or injured by someone with a weapon on school property at least once during the past 12 months. Thirtyfive of these students (57%) said they had been threatened or injured more than once; 13 (21%) were threatened or injured 12 or more times. The highest number of threatened or injured students were in ninth grade (46%, N = 28), 10th and 11th grade each had 13 students (21%) and 12th grade had seven students (11%) who reported threats or injuries. Of the total students threatened or injured by a weapon, 67% (N = 41) were males and 33% (N = 20) were females.
Thirtyseven percent of all students in this study (N = 408) reported they had property, such as their car, clothing, or books, stolen or deliberately damaged on school property at least once during the past 12 months. Theft or damage occurred more than once for 57% (N= 233) of these students. Of the total students who reported stolen or damaged property, 32% (N = 131) were 9th graders, 33% (N = 135) were 10th graders, 21% ( N = 86) were 11th graders, and 13 percent (N = 54) were in 12th grade. Fiftythree percent (N = 215) of these students were males, and 47% (N = 193) were females.
Thirtytwo percent (N = 348) of all students in this study reported they were in a physical fight at least once during the past 12 months; 43% (N = 148) were in a fight more than once. The ninth graders reported the highest number of fights (38 %, N=132) followed by the 10th graders (30%, N=106), the 11th graders (21%, N=74) and the 12th graders (9 %, N = 34) reported the lowest number of fights. Females reported they were in 36% (N = 125) of the fight incidents and males reported they were in 64% (N = 223) of the fights.
Of the 348 reported fights, 134 students (39%) reported they occurred on school property. Of these students who fought on school property, 107 (80%) were males and 27 (20%) were females. Ninth graders reported the highest number of fights on school property (51%, N = 69), followed by 10th graders (25%, N = 33), 11th graders (18%, N=24) and 12th graders reported the lowest number of fights on school property (5%, N= 7).
With whom did these students have their last physical fight? (This question was answered by 534 students, more than the number (348) who reported being in at least one physical fight in the past 12 months; the time period apparently accounts for the different numbers.) The highest number fought with a friend or someone they knew (40%, N =212), followed by a family member (22%, N = 119). Others included a total stranger (12%, N = 64), boyfriend, girlfriend or date ( 3%, N=19) someone else (4 %, N=23) and more than one of these categories (9%, N=49).
When broken down by gender, a total of 190 females responded to this question and 344 males responded. The highest number of females reported fighting with a family member (43%, N = 83) followed by a friend or someone they knew (27%, N = 52). On the other hand, the highest number of males reported fighting with a friend or someone they knew (47%, N = 160). Only 10% (N = 36) of the males reported fighting with a family member .
One-fourth (N=268, 25%) of all the adolescents in this study reported they seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months. (Nineteen students choose not to answer this question.) Twenty-six percent of the ninth graders (N = 76) and 26% (N = 87) of the 10th graders, 25% (N = 70) of the 11th graders and 20% (N=34) of the 12th graders reported they seriously considered suicide during the past 12 months. More females (N=162, 30%) than males (N=106, 20%) said they considered suicide during the past 12 months.
Did these students make a plan during the past 12 months about how they would kill themselves? Two-hundred-twenty-eight (85%) reported yes, they made a plan. More females (88%, N = 142) than males (81%, N = 86) said they had a plan to commit suicide.
How many times during the past 12 months did these students actually attempt suicide? Overall, 88 students (8%) reported they attempted at least once, 11 students attempted six or more times, three made four or five attempts, 20 made two or three attempts and 54 students attempted suicide one time. (Seventy-two students did not answer this question.) Of the total number of students reporting suicide attempts in the last 12 months, 29 were males (33%) and 59 were females (67%).
Did their suicide attempts result in an injury, poisoning, or overdose that had to be treated by a doctor or a nurse? Overall, 32 students (36%) reported yes, they had to be treated. The highest number requiring medical treatment (N=13, 40%) were in the ninth grade; only one was in 12th grade. More females (66%, N = 21) than males (34%, N = 11) required treatment.
Based on the results of this study, the following conclusions are offered.
Adults in North Dakota should listen to the reports from the adolescents who participated in this study. While the study did not include every North Dakota adolescent, it was a random sample, one of the most reliable and representative methods of data collection.
It is easy in today's affluent world, full of instant knowledge, material goods, and sometimes excruciating awareness of global events, to assume that adolescents "never had it so good." Yet, the results of this study tell a different story. Along with the opportunities, there are threats to the development of North Dakota young people.
It is simply not acceptable that so many of our adolescents in North Dakota consider if they should end their life. It is a black mark on our society that many have even made a plan to kill themselves.
The results of this study send a clear, perhaps desperate, message to all parents and professionals working with adolescents and families in North Dakota. It also sends a message to adults who do not have direct contact with adolescents. We must acknowledge what these young people have reported. Every young person should be considered at risk for suicide; the impulsivity and inexperience of adolescence can make the future look hopeless when they run up against the inevitable problems of life. A caring adult available for adolescents to talk with, can make a critical difference in a troubled adolescent's life.
Professionals who work with troubled adolescents should be aware that problem behavior can result from violence and stress in the child's life. Therefore, it is important to analyze the life context or life space of the troubled adolescent to determine if violence is present. If it is, the possibility that this violence is the root cause of the adolescent's problem behavior must be considered and steps should be taken to protect the child. Without this action, it is likely the adolescent's negative behavior will escalate.
Schools must take steps to help their students resolve conflict in a nonviolent manner and to provide safety from the theft and damage of their students' property. In addition to the responsibility of the schools, every member of the helping professions must be sensitive to the dark side of the adolescent world. Adolescents see the world through inexperienced and idealistic eyes. Adults can offer support, hope, and caring that will help adolescents through the dark times of growing up. It is the adult's task in any culture to nurture and guide the younger generation so they will be prepared to take over the responsibilities of adulthood. The results of this study clearly indicate the adolescents' need for nurturance, support, and guidance.
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The North Dakota Journal of Human Services, October 1998