Suicide has been identified as the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the USA. Although neighborhood violence has also been identified as a major public health issue, few studies have examined the association between exposure to neighborhood violence and suicidal behaviors among adolescents using a large nationally representative…

Rates of youth firearm exposure and carriage are well-established, but less work has examined how exposure to police violence and firearm violence, as victim or witness, may be associated with beliefs in gun ownership for society or access to guns. This study used survey data from a multiracial sample of 276 youth living in New Orleans, Louisiana…

During adolescence, access to safe environments is critical for healthy development. This study analyzed adolescents' perceptions of safety in personal and public spaces in the semi-rural community of Santa Ana, Colombia on the Island of Barú (95.8% of inhabitants live in poverty). We used thematic analysis to explore adolescents' experiences and…

Introduction: COVID-19 changed the traditional way of educating, confining students to their homes and favoring the excessive use of technology and entertainment such as video games. Precisely, the excessive consumption of the latter altered the behavior of adolescents and increased their levels of aggressiveness. The present study analyzed…

The study's aim was to determine the association between school-based violence and being under the influence of drugs/alcohol during the last sexual intercourse among US high-school adolescents. A total of 3136 students from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior survey were included. Multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to examine…

Girls' education is affected by forms of violence and teenage pregnancy, resulting in school dropouts. Governments have established Behavior Change Communication (BCC) approaches to address these issues, but with limited success. This study assessed teenage girls' perceived views on the best BCC strategies for eradicating these education issues.…

Mentoring is considered an evidence-based practice for violence prevention. This study presents a partial replication of the "Take Charge!" program implemented in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS). One hundred and eighty-eight early adolescents (M age = 12.87; 61.17% male) who were treated for peer-related…

Adolescence violence is a problem that often occurs and is of concern to many parties. This condition can have an impact on various aspects, including subjective well-being, a sense of security and comfort at school, students' poor perceptions of the school climate, to the decline in student academic achievement. The problem of adolescent violence…

The aim of this study was to analyze the direct and indirect relationships between romantic myths of love and teen dating violence victimization (physical and psychological), considering the mediating role of tolerant attitudes toward abuse and the moderator role of gender. A sample of 467 adolescents who had a dating relationship at that time or…

Youth interpersonal firearm violence disproportionately affects Black youth, with residential racial segregation as a key determinant. Racially segregated neighborhoods, which are economically isolated (e.g., neighborhood disadvantage), are linked to increased exposure to violence. This exposure, in turn, is a determinant of youth firearm…

Teen dating violence (TDV) is an ongoing epidemic in the United States. Subsequently, gender symmetry regarding the experience and perpetration of violence continues to be a prevalent debate in American society. TDV is a clinical concern that can impact clients' safety; therefore, counselors must be adequately trained and cognizant of any biases…

Ample evidence suggests that exposure to family violence associates with bullying perpetration (BP). However, much is unknown about the underlying mechanism such as depressive symptoms and the moderating role of school bonding in these relationships. Thus, this study first examined the link between exposure to family violence and BP. Second, the…

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between violent sexual victimization and muscle-building exercise among adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 8408) were analyzed. Two indicators of non-dating-related sexual violence (lifetime, past 12 months), along with one…

School connectedness is an important factor in the lives of youth and are a leverage point for optimizing youth's social, emotional, and physical health. This study presents a meta-analysis examining the relationship between school connectedness and four health domains that are prevalent in adolescence, have implications for adult health, and…

Although research advocates for comprehensive cross-sector youth violence prevention efforts, mobilizing across sectors to translate scientific recommendations into practice has proven challenging. A unifying framework may provide a foundational step toward building a shared understanding of the risk and protective factors that impact youth…