A review of the literature illustrates the high prevalence rate and negative student outcomes associated with verbal aggression (VA) in school settings. Research in the U.S. reveals the correlates and effects of VA that can inform and facilitate a research agenda for interventionists focused on violence prevention in school settings. Our analysis…

College student mental health received widespread attention during the 2014-2015 academic year with in depth commentary appearing in numerous major media outlets. These articles examined college student mental health from various perspectives including the experiences of students and parents, counseling centers, the rise of anxiety in higher…

The prevalence of sexual abuse by male batterers has been estimated to be between 34% and 59%, although there are few studies examining the effects of this sexual abuse on the female victims. Further, the relationship between other forms of abuse and sexual abuse by a battering partner has not been systematically examined. The purpose of this…

School violence has increasingly captured public attention due to deadly school shootings. Controversy on school violence is demonstrated by a mixed picture of school safety and the lack of consensus on the definition of violence, which makes comparison of findings across studies difficult. This study extended the application of the Rasch model to…

Surveys of married and dating couples find that women assault their male partners at about the same rate as men assault female partners. When assaults serious enough to cause death were examined, it was found that in contrast to the extreme rarity of homicide by women outside the family, women kill their male partners at a rate that approaches the…

Although many battered women seek help from their family physicians as outpatients, rates of current and lifetime victimization among outpatient female patients have not been well studied. This study tested two hypotheses regarding whether battered women presented to the clinic in a different manner than did nonbattered women. First, within the…

Incidence rates are critically examined in light of varying definitions of what constitutes elder abuse. It is suggested that the clinician's position of mandatory reporting is an unrealistic response in many cases of elder abuse due to the lack of adequate support services for either the abuser or the elder. Outcome studies are used to support…

Teachers at an urban high school in New Brunswick (Canada) were reluctant to begin an intervention program directed at student anger and violence until they had gained input from the students themselves. A survey was conducted of the students' experience with violence and their opinions about how to address the problem. Participants were 769 (395…

More than one third of Americans think that reducing school violence is the top challenge facing public schools. The challenge posed by National Education Goal 7 is that, by the year 2000, schools will be free of violence. Despite increased concern about school violence and pursuit of this lofty national goal, this paper presents the argument that…

Even though rape is the crime they fear most, women hold strong beliefs that their personal risk for sexual victimization is lower than the risk for other women. Victimization shatters illusions of invulnerability, and results in feelings of vulnerability, suggesting that sexual victimization should decrease women's perceived invulnerability for…

This study examined demographic, clinical, and criminal histories as they related to whether 244 youth (ages 12-18) referred for mental health services at a juvenile corrections facility were repeat or first-time offenders. The population of 244 patients included 144 first-time offenders and 100 repeat offenders. Results of the study found that…

The Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTSPC), a version of the well-established Conflict Tactics Scales, was developed to improve its ability to obtain data on physical and psychological child maltreatment. The conceptual and methodological approaches used to develop the CTSPC are described and psychometric data, including reliability,…

This report discusses the outcomes of two studies that investigated the effectiveness of the Safe Schools Healthy Students Initiative (SS/HSI), a federal grant program designed to promote healthy childhood development and prevent violence and substance abuse. The first study, titled "Results of a Longitudinal Study of Disciplinary Referrals…