Factors that impact adolescent weapon carrying and violent behaviors

The purpose of this study was to determine which resiliency and risk factors appeared to predict adolescent involvement in weapon carrying and violent behaviors. To determine the level of resiliency, exposure to risk and participation in violent behaviors, a 72 item Risk and Resiliency Questionnaire (RRQ) was administered to a west coast sample of detention center youth (n = 93). The different sections of the RRQ measured the following: (1) respondent's behavioral risk status; (2) exposure to risk factors; (3) resiliency; and (4) sociodemographic variables.;Study results demonstrated that the resiliency variables Expectation, Hope, Empathy, Prosocial behaviors, Academic achievement and Religious attendance were not age or race specific. Gender could not be examined due to the small percentage (11.2%) of females.;Three items from the Exposure to Risk Subscale, number of stabbings witnessed, frequency of witnessing neighborhood gang activity and frequency of witnessing people selling drugs were significant predictors of weapon carrying behavior. The combination of the 3 items accounted for 35% of the variance in the sample. Involvement in violent behavior was significantly predicted by two items from the Exposure to Risk Subscale, frequency witnessed others and friends fighting and number of stabbings witnessed. Forty-four percent of the variance in the model was accounted for by these two variables.;Seven statistical models were built to predict involvement in weapon carrying and violent behaviors from risk and resiliency factors. Alcohol consumption increased the likelihood that a youth would carry a knife. Physical fighting and gang membership were significant predictors of youth who had carried a gun. Low expectations and gang membership predicted the likelihood of shooting a gun at another person. Three predictor variables (carried a gun, sold drugs and carried an object to be used as a weapon) were found to significantly increase the likelihood of participation in aggravated assault.