| Violence in the United States claims more lives than in any other developed country (Thornton, Craft, Dahlberg, Lynch, & Baer, 2000). In order to effectively prevent this behavior, it is critically important to understand the individual, family, peer, and community factors related to the development of violent behavior, and the interactions between them (Becker, Barham, Eron, & Chen, 1994; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). In this study, detailed 2-wave longitudinal data on 1,908 children (ages 9-15 at Wave 1) from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods were analyzed utilizing a hierarchical model in which the self-reported violent behavior of the individual at wave 2 (approximately 2 years after the first wave) was predicted utilizing characteristics of the individual participants, their families, and their peers. At the next level of analysis, the relationship between these factors and individual violent behavior at wave 2 was predicted utilizing community variables. The results of this analysis revealed many factors that predicted subsequent violent behavior, including individual factors (gender, race/ethnicity, age group, level of aggression, marijuana and alcohol use, and having committed theft and vandalism), family factors (parental marital status, family socioeconomic status, having a family member who is depressed or convicted of a crime, and family social support), and peer factors (peer social support, and having peers who are violent or have committed theft). Furthermore, a number of community factors (including social disorder, social capital, perceived discussed in terms of the ways in which factors assessed at various levels of individuals' ecological environments may be used, both individually and in combination, to predict and understand their subsequent violent behavior. Through recognizing the importance of each of the ecological levels and the influence that they have on children's development, the results of this study can inform policy and prevention efforts. |
