Violence Perpetration in Early Adolescence: A Study of Four Urban Communities Worldwide

Sam Beckwith; Chaohua Lou; Kristien Michielsen; Eric Mafuta; Siswanto Agus Wilopo; Robert Wm Blum

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.06.011

Violence Perpetration in Early Adolescence: A Study of Four Urban Communities Worldwide

J Adolesc Health. 2022 Nov;71(5):616-627. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.06.011. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

Authors

Sam Beckwith¹, Chaohua Lou², Kristien Michielsen³, Eric Mafuta⁴, Siswanto Agus Wilopo⁵, Robert Wm Blum⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: sbeckwi2@jhmi.edu.
² Department of Epidemiology & Social Science, NHC Key Lab. of Reproductive Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
³ International Centre for Reproductive Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
⁴ Health Systems Policy and Management Department, University of Kinshasa School of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
⁵ Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Population Health and Center for Reproductive Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
⁶ Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.

Abstract

Purpose: Violence perpetration is common among adolescents worldwide but existing research largely focuses on boys, older adolescents, and partner violence. Our study sought to identify individual, family, and neighborhood/peer factors associated with violence perpetration in a multinational sample of male and female young adolescents.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 5,762 adolescents in four sites in the Global Early Adolescent Study: Flanders, Belgium; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Shanghai, China; and Semarang, Indonesia. Adolescents resided in high-poverty urban areas and were aged 10 to 14 years. Logistic regression examined pooled and stratified associations between independent variables with peer violence perpetration in the past six months. Factors included media viewing habits, gender norms, victimization, agency/empowerment, adversity, depression, familial relationships, neighborhood cohesion, and peer behaviors.

Results: Restricted-model analyses found increased odds of violence perpetration associated with high media consumption, pornography viewing, violence or bullying victimization, having drank alcohol, depressive symptoms, adverse childhood experiences, greater behavioral control, greater decision-making, feeling unsafe in the neighborhood/school, peer alcohol/tobacco use, and witnessing peers start a fight. Decreased odds of violence perpetration were associated with more egalitarian views on two gender norms scales, closer parental relationships, neighbors looking out for one another, and greater availability of adult help.

Discussion: Among young adolescents, increased odds of violence perpetration were related to a perceived lack of safety and risky peer behaviors. Parental and neighborhood connections were often associated with decreased perpetration. Further research examining the interplay of such factors among young adolescents is needed to inform effective intervention and policy.

Keywords: Adolescent; Adverse childhood experiences; Bullying; Early adolescence; Gender norms; Peer-violence perpetration.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
China
Crime Victims*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Female
Humans
Intimate Partner Violence*
Male
Violence