Violent behaviors and weapon carrying have decreased among African-American adolescents, but homicide rates continue to rise, according to a new report from Ball State University.
“Violent Behaviors, Weapon Carrying, and Firearm Homicide Trends in African American Adolescents, 2001–2015” is the first study to assess violent behaviors in African-American youth over an extended period, the university said.
“In a multi-year national assessment, we found that African-American adolescents who achieved very good grades in school were significantly less likely to carry weapons or engage in violent behaviors,” said Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani, lead author and a health science professor at Ball State. “On the contrary, teenagers who used drugs, alcohol and tobacco were significantly more likely to carry weapons and engage in aggressive behaviors.”
The study team used the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys from 2001 to 2015.
The study found that among African-American boys and girls:
· Fighting in general and on school property had significantly declined from 2007-2015.
· The rates of carrying a weapon in general and carrying a weapon on school property declined for males and females from 2009-2015.
