Citation

Comer BP, Connolly EJ. Prev. Med. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106277

PMID

33039452

Abstract

Previous studies have found that individual, environmental, geographic, and demographic factors correlate with adolescent gun carrying. Comparatively less research has focused on identifying correlates of adolescent gun carrying to schools. The current study examined whether previously identified factors associated with adolescent gun carrying similarly predict adolescent school gun carrying. Logistic regression models are used to predict risk of school gun carrying among a nationally representative sample of adolescent males (n = 4559).

RESULTS revealed that a range of individual- and environmental-level factors increase the odds of school gun carrying, including a 13% increased likelihood of carrying a gun to school among individuals with more symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additionally, analyses indicated that several individual- and environmental-level factors differentially increase the likelihood of school gun carrying across race and ethnicity. Policies aimed at reducing gun carrying in schools should address both the known correlates of adolescent school gun carrying broadly and the specific correlates of gun carrying as they vary across particular groups of youth. Future research should attempt to replicate these and other studies findings across diverse samples of adolescents and identify other potential correlates of adolescent school gun carrying not previously addressed.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Mental health, school-level, and geographic factors are associated with school guncarrying differentially across race and ethnicity. Programming efforts may benefit fromconsidering the influence of race/ethnicity on dynamic risk factors for school guncarrying when designing and implementing school safety measures.

Language: en

Keywords

School; Males; Race; Adolescence; Guns