Understanding Weapon Carrying Behaviors of Youth in Florida Schools Using Structural Equation Modeling

Yingwei Yang · Abraham Salinas‐Miranda · Martha L. Coulter · Karen DeSafey Liller

12 citations0/0 files storedViolence and Gender

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Gun Ownership and Violence Research Crime Patterns and Interventions Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the complex interplay between community, family, and individual factors associated with weapon carrying behaviors at school among youth in Florida through structural equation modeling (SEM). This study utilized an existing dataset, the 2015 Youth Outreach Survey, which was collected from youth (n = 26,515) in public middle and high schools in Hillsborough County, Florida. SEM with robust maximum likelihood estimation was used to test a conceptual model of weapon carrying behaviors at school, consisting of two community factors (neighborhood problems and social cohesion), a family factor (adult caring relationships at home), and an individual factor (substance use). Approximately 3.9% of youth reported bringing a gun on school property, 5.1% brought knives, and 6.4% indicated that they have attended school with other weapons. In the SEM model, the strongest direct association with weapon carrying was substance use (β = 0.41), followed by neighborhood problems (β = 0.18). For indirect effects, neighborhood problems were positively associated with substance use (β = 0.15) and inversely related to social cohesion (β = −0.29). Social cohesion had a strong positive association with adult caring relationships (β = 0.41), while adult caring relationships were negatively associated with substance use (β = −0.24). This study shows social cohesion is a protective factor of weapon carrying behaviors among youth by moderating neighborhood problems and substance use. Substance use is a strong risk factor for youth that can reinforce the association between neighborhood problems and weapon carrying. Future research should assess more direct and indirect factors associated with weapon carrying behaviors.

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References

1998Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling 2015Health behavior : theory, research, and practice 2006Violence a global public health problem 2015Protective Factors for Youth Exposed to Violence in Their Communities: A Review of Family, School, and Community Moderators 2012Correlates of Handgun Carrying Among Adolescents in the United States 2013Physical and Emotional Health Problems Experienced by Youth Engaged in Physical Fighting and Weapon Carrying 2007Variables Associated with Weapon-Carrying among Young Adolescents in Southern California 2016Epidemiologic Evidence to Guide the Understanding and Prevention of Gun Violence

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2023Using a Syndemic Framework and Structural Equation Modeling to Assess the Co-occurrence and Mutual Impact of Violence Experiences and Substance Use Behaviors Among Adolescents 2023Gun carrying among US adolescents: the mutual impact of violence experiences, safety concerns, and substance use behaviors

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