Adolescent Violence

SUMMARY

While adolescent violence is a significant societal concern, there has been limited research as to the context of the fighting. In other words, where do adolescents fight the most? With whom are they most likely to fight? Understanding the patterns of adolescent fighting will allow for a more comprehensive grasp of the problem. The data for the present analysis are drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) (Wave1), and are from the adolescent and matching parent in-home assessment and include only those adolescents who report being in a physical fight (n = 10,450). Adolescents report fighting most often at school and with a friend or someone they know. Differences in terms of sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, ethnicity, gender, parent education level) and family, school, and community attachment are discussed.

Key Words:

• Race
• adolescent violence
• fighting
• location
• victims