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Weapon carrying in a sample of high school students in New Zealand

Weapon carrying in a sample of high school students in New Zealand Rob McGee Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Abstract Objective: To examine self-report of carrying weapons and correlates in a sample of New Zealand high school students. Melissa Carter Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Method: A sample of 652 Year 11 students from all Dunedin high schools completed a web-based version of the US Youth Risk Behaviour Survey. This included questions on weapon carrying, fighting, and feeling unsafe at school, as well as measures of family and peer/friend connectedness and perception of school climate. Sheila Williams Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Barry Taylor Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Results: Reports of ever carrying a weapon and carrying one in the last 30 days were relatively common, being 27.5% and 19.3% respectively. Weapon carrying in the last 30 days was strongly associated with being male, fighting in the last year, he New Zealand (NZ) Health Strategy includes “reducing violence in interpersonal relationships, families, schools and communities” as a priority objective. 1 Addressing violence among young people is an important component of this objective.2 One aspect of youth violence is the carrying of weapons for protection or to use in physical fights or robbery. Overseas studies report high rates of weapon carrying among high school students. Data from the US Youth Risk Behaviour Surveys (YRBS) indicate that the prevalence of carrying a weapon such as a gun, knife or club in the last 30 days fell from a high of 26.1% in 1991 to 17.4% in 2001.3,4 High rates of weapon carrying have been reported in Scotland 5 and Canada, although the Canadian data show similar declines over time to those in the US.6 We found three studies of weapon carrying among NZ adolescents. Among the 13-yearolds assessed in 1985/86 as part of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study cohort (DMHDS), 5.9% reported “carrying some kind of weapon in case it is needed” and 2.6% reported “using any kind of weapon in a fight” in the last year.7 The comparable figures at age 15 years were 8.6% and 3.0% respectively. Unpublished data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study cohort (CHDS) indicated that among the 15-16 year-olds (1992), 3.3% reported “carrying a hidden weapon” and 1.6% used a weapon to attack or rob someone. Comparable figures at age 17-18 years were 4.5% and 2.1%.8 Coggan et al.9 surveyed two high schools in 1995 and found that 10.0% of mainly 16 and 17-year-old students reported “carrying a weapon with intent to harm”. In all studies, more boys reported carrying or using weapons than girls. Here we examine self-reported weapon carrying and correlated behaviours in a sample of pupils from Dunedin, NZ. We hypothesised that weapon carrying would be related to physical aggression and would be less among students with stronger missing school due to feeling unsafe, and a poorer perception of school climate. Conclusions: Many high school students report weapon carrying, which in turn was associated with other aspects of physical aggression. Further study of the lethality of weapons being carried and the context in which they might be used is clearly warranted. (Aust N Z J Public Health 2005; 29: 13-15) Correspondence to: Dr Rob McGee, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand. Fax: +64 3 479 7298; e-mail: rob.mcgee@stonebow.otago.ac.nz Submitted: April 2004 Revision requested: September 2004 Accepted: October 2004 2005 VOL. 29 NO. 1 AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH McGee et al. Article connectedness to parents and with more favourable perceptions of school climate. Method Ethical approval was obtained from the Otago Ethics Committee to sample every second student on the Year 11 school rolls. Some schools, however, opted for randomly selected classes to take part. Information sheets were sent to schools and distributed to students. Separate information sheets were sent to parents, giving them the option of opting their child out of the study. None did so, and 652 Year 11 students from all 12 Dunedin high schools provided written consent prior to completing a web-based version of the 2001 YRBS.4 Some 70.3% completed it using their school’s computer facilities; 24.5% completed a pencil-and-paper version, mainly at the school’s request; and 5.2% completed the penciland-paper version because of technical problems. The survey was carried out between July and October 2001. The US version of the YRBS is an 88-item survey assessing both health-compromising and health-promoting behaviours. There are seven questions about violence-related behaviours. On the basis of a pilot study, the YRBS was modified to suit the language and specific issues of adolescents in NZ. Questions about carrying weapons, fighting and feeling unsafe at school are shown in Table 1. Respondents were also asked: “Who do you talk to when you have a problem or feel upset about something?” and “Who takes notice of you (e.g. understands, comforts, asks what is wrong) when you are upset or angry about something?” Response options included a list of family members, friends, other individuals (e.g. religious minister), and “no one”. Questions about school climate were: 1. “How much do you feel that people at school (such as teachers, coaches or other adults) care about you?” (scored 0 = not at all, 1 = some, 2 = a lot). 2. “This year at school, do you feel like you are part of your school?” (scored 0 = no, none of the time, 1 = sometimes, 2 = yes, all of the time). 3. “How often do the teachers at your school treat students fairly?” (scored 0 = hardly ever, 1 = sometimes, 2 = most of the time). The questions relating to family and friends were based on those used in the DMHDS at age 15,10 while those relating to school climate were based on McNeely et al.11 Low, medium and high levels of connectedness were identified separately for parents and friends; favourable school perceptions were similarly identified as low, medium or high. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between sex and weapon carrying and related behaviours; the standard errors and p-values were adjusted for clustering within the schools. Logistic regression was used to determine relationships between weapon carrying and other variables.12 Results There were 327 males and 325 females with a median age 15 years and 10 months. Most self-identified as NZ European (91.3%), with 9.5% Maori, 2% Cook Island and 9% ‘other’ (multiple ethnicities were permitted). The overall response rate was 84% of the eligible sample. Table 1 shows the prevalence estimates for males and females separately, of self-reported carrying of a weapon “ever” and in the past 30 days. For the latter question, the prevalence estimates indicate carrying a weapon “at least once”. Overall, 27.5% of the sample reported having ever carried a weapon and 19.3% carrying a weapon in the past 30 days. Weapon carrying was significantly more common among the males. Table 1 also reports the prevalence estimates of fighting and feeling unsafe. Fighting in the past 12 months and fighting on school property were more often reported by males. Table 2 shows the relationships between carrying a weapon in the past 30 days and fighting and missing school because of feeling unsafe. Three variables were significantly associated with weapon carrying in the past 30 days, namely being male, fighting in the past 12 months, and feeling unsafe in the past 30 days. We examined the relationships between level of connectedness to family and friends and perception of school climate, and carrying a weapon in the past 30 days as the outcome variable. Only school climate was significantly associated with carrying a weapon, OR=0.74 with 95% CI 0.63-0.86. That is, those students who reported a medium level of favourable perceptions of school were 26% less likely to report weapon carrying compared with those having the poorest perceptions. Similarly, those with the Table 1: Self-report of weapon carrying and associated behaviours and 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for clustering by school, in parentheses. Question Have you ever carried a weapon such as a gun, knife or club? During the past 30 days, on how many days did you carry a weapon such as . . .? During the past 12 months, how many times were you in a physical fight? During the past 12 months, how many times were you in a physical fight on school property? During the past 30 days, on how many days did you not go to school because you felt you would be unsafe at school or on your way to and from school? Notes: (a) Significant difference by sex, p<0.05. Percentages for questions asking for frequencies indicate “at least once”. Girls n=323 % (95% CI) 12.7 (8.6-18.3) 8.7 (5.6-13.1) 29.9 (23.7-37.0) 7.4 (4.8-11.2) 7.4 (4.2-12.7) Boys n=320 % (95% CI) 42.4a (35.6-49.6) 30.0a (26.7-33.5) 49.2a (42.6-55.9) 29.7a (24.3-35.8) 7.1 (4.1-12.0) AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2005 VOL. 29 NO. 1 New Zealand Weapon carrying by high school students most favourable perceptions of school were 26% less likely to report carrying a weapon compared with those having mid-level favourable perceptions. Discussion The prevalence of weapon carrying in this sample of Dunedin high school students was relatively high. Indeed, there was little difference between reports of carrying a weapon in the last 30 days among Dunedin boys and girls (19.3%) and in an equivalent sample from the US (17.4%).4 In this regard, the age range of students in the present study also corresponded to the peak ages for weapon carrying among US students.3 Previous NZ data have produced a range of prevalence estimates of weapon carrying between 3% and 10%. Clearly, our estimates are high, but comparison with this earlier research is problematic given differences in assessment among the studies ranging from our computer-based survey to personal interviews in the DMHDS.10 Weapon carrying was related to fighting in general, feeling unsafe at school, and unfavourable perceptions of the school climate, suggesting that weapon carrying is part of a broader pattern of aggressive behaviours and may be specifically linked to aspects of the school environment. What are we to make of these high prevalences? One possibility is that respondents misinterpreted the meaning of “weapon” and included such actions as carrying a rifle for hunting or a knife for fishing. The section on carrying a weapon, engaging in physical fights and feeling unsafe was prefaced by the words “the next 7 questions ask about violence-related behaviours” and this may have reduced the chances of any such misinterpretation. Furthermore, the question on weapon carrying did specify examples such as a gun, knife or club. Nevertheless, more contextual information could have clarified the meanings respondents placed on the word “weapon”. On the positive side, this study yielded a high response rate. All Dunedin high schools took part, as did 84% of eligible students. There were only four instances of direct refusals to participate. It is likely that the sample is representative of Dunedin students. We investigated alternative educational institutions in Dunedin and estimated only about 8-10 Year 11 students were enrolled in them. While we were unable to estimate numbers of students in home schooling, it is likely that this number is not high. The survey itself was based upon a well-researched US instrument, the YRBS, which has been used previously in a NZ setting.9 We believe these results highlight the potential importance of weapon carrying among high school students in NZ. They also serve to confirm the links between carrying a weapon and broader aspects of physical aggression. What has to be determined are adolescent perceptions concerning what might constitute a weapon, the lethality of any weapons being carried, and the context in which they might be used. A recent focus group-based study13 of perceptions of violence among urban children might act as a good model for further research on this topic in NZ. Acknowledgements We wish to thank Shirley Jones from the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, who helped with data collection. We also extend our thanks to the many Dunedin high school principals, teachers and school counsellors who were involved in planning and carrying out the survey. Finally, thanks must go to the students who took part so willingly. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Wiley

Weapon carrying in a sample of high school students in New Zealand

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
1326-0200
eISSN
1753-6405
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-842X.2005.tb00741.x
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Abstract

Rob McGee Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Abstract Objective: To examine self-report of carrying weapons and correlates in a sample of New Zealand high school students. Melissa Carter Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Method: A sample of 652 Year 11 students from all Dunedin high schools completed a web-based version of the US Youth Risk Behaviour Survey. This included questions on weapon carrying, fighting, and feeling unsafe at school, as well as measures of family and peer/friend connectedness and perception of school climate. Sheila Williams Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Barry Taylor Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Otago Medical School, New Zealand Results: Reports of ever carrying a weapon and carrying one in the last 30 days were relatively common, being 27.5% and 19.3% respectively. Weapon carrying in the last 30 days was strongly associated with being male, fighting in the last year, he New Zealand (NZ) Health Strategy includes “reducing violence in interpersonal relationships, families, schools and communities” as a priority objective. 1 Addressing violence among young people is an important component of this objective.2 One aspect of youth violence is the carrying of weapons for protection or to use in physical fights or robbery. Overseas studies report high rates of weapon carrying among high school students. Data from the US Youth Risk Behaviour Surveys (YRBS) indicate that the prevalence of carrying a weapon such as a gun, knife or club in the last 30 days fell from a high of 26.1% in 1991 to 17.4% in 2001.3,4 High rates of weapon carrying have been reported in Scotland 5 and Canada, although the Canadian data show similar declines over time to those in the US.6 We found three studies of weapon carrying among NZ adolescents. Among the 13-yearolds assessed in 1985/86 as part of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study cohort (DMHDS), 5.9% reported “carrying some kind of weapon in case it is needed” and 2.6% reported “using any kind of weapon in a fight” in the last year.7 The comparable figures at age 15 years were 8.6% and 3.0% respectively. Unpublished data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study cohort (CHDS) indicated that among the 15-16 year-olds (1992), 3.3% reported “carrying a hidden weapon” and 1.6% used a weapon to attack or rob someone. Comparable figures at age 17-18 years were 4.5% and 2.1%.8 Coggan et al.9 surveyed two high schools in 1995 and found that 10.0% of mainly 16 and 17-year-old students reported “carrying a weapon with intent to harm”. In all studies, more boys reported carrying or using weapons than girls. Here we examine self-reported weapon carrying and correlated behaviours in a sample of pupils from Dunedin, NZ. We hypothesised that weapon carrying would be related to physical aggression and would be less among students with stronger missing school due to feeling unsafe, and a poorer perception of school climate. Conclusions: Many high school students report weapon carrying, which in turn was associated with other aspects of physical aggression. Further study of the lethality of weapons being carried and the context in which they might be used is clearly warranted. (Aust N Z J Public Health 2005; 29: 13-15) Correspondence to: Dr Rob McGee, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand. Fax: +64 3 479 7298; e-mail: rob.mcgee@stonebow.otago.ac.nz Submitted: April 2004 Revision requested: September 2004 Accepted: October 2004 2005 VOL. 29 NO. 1 AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH McGee et al. Article connectedness to parents and with more favourable perceptions of school climate. Method Ethical approval was obtained from the Otago Ethics Committee to sample every second student on the Year 11 school rolls. Some schools, however, opted for randomly selected classes to take part. Information sheets were sent to schools and distributed to students. Separate information sheets were sent to parents, giving them the option of opting their child out of the study. None did so, and 652 Year 11 students from all 12 Dunedin high schools provided written consent prior to completing a web-based version of the 2001 YRBS.4 Some 70.3% completed it using their school’s computer facilities; 24.5% completed a pencil-and-paper version, mainly at the school’s request; and 5.2% completed the penciland-paper version because of technical problems. The survey was carried out between July and October 2001. The US version of the YRBS is an 88-item survey assessing both health-compromising and health-promoting behaviours. There are seven questions about violence-related behaviours. On the basis of a pilot study, the YRBS was modified to suit the language and specific issues of adolescents in NZ. Questions about carrying weapons, fighting and feeling unsafe at school are shown in Table 1. Respondents were also asked: “Who do you talk to when you have a problem or feel upset about something?” and “Who takes notice of you (e.g. understands, comforts, asks what is wrong) when you are upset or angry about something?” Response options included a list of family members, friends, other individuals (e.g. religious minister), and “no one”. Questions about school climate were: 1. “How much do you feel that people at school (such as teachers, coaches or other adults) care about you?” (scored 0 = not at all, 1 = some, 2 = a lot). 2. “This year at school, do you feel like you are part of your school?” (scored 0 = no, none of the time, 1 = sometimes, 2 = yes, all of the time). 3. “How often do the teachers at your school treat students fairly?” (scored 0 = hardly ever, 1 = sometimes, 2 = most of the time). The questions relating to family and friends were based on those used in the DMHDS at age 15,10 while those relating to school climate were based on McNeely et al.11 Low, medium and high levels of connectedness were identified separately for parents and friends; favourable school perceptions were similarly identified as low, medium or high. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between sex and weapon carrying and related behaviours; the standard errors and p-values were adjusted for clustering within the schools. Logistic regression was used to determine relationships between weapon carrying and other variables.12 Results There were 327 males and 325 females with a median age 15 years and 10 months. Most self-identified as NZ European (91.3%), with 9.5% Maori, 2% Cook Island and 9% ‘other’ (multiple ethnicities were permitted). The overall response rate was 84% of the eligible sample. Table 1 shows the prevalence estimates for males and females separately, of self-reported carrying of a weapon “ever” and in the past 30 days. For the latter question, the prevalence estimates indicate carrying a weapon “at least once”. Overall, 27.5% of the sample reported having ever carried a weapon and 19.3% carrying a weapon in the past 30 days. Weapon carrying was significantly more common among the males. Table 1 also reports the prevalence estimates of fighting and feeling unsafe. Fighting in the past 12 months and fighting on school property were more often reported by males. Table 2 shows the relationships between carrying a weapon in the past 30 days and fighting and missing school because of feeling unsafe. Three variables were significantly associated with weapon carrying in the past 30 days, namely being male, fighting in the past 12 months, and feeling unsafe in the past 30 days. We examined the relationships between level of connectedness to family and friends and perception of school climate, and carrying a weapon in the past 30 days as the outcome variable. Only school climate was significantly associated with carrying a weapon, OR=0.74 with 95% CI 0.63-0.86. That is, those students who reported a medium level of favourable perceptions of school were 26% less likely to report weapon carrying compared with those having the poorest perceptions. Similarly, those with the Table 1: Self-report of weapon carrying and associated behaviours and 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for clustering by school, in parentheses. Question Have you ever carried a weapon such as a gun, knife or club? During the past 30 days, on how many days did you carry a weapon such as . . .? During the past 12 months, how many times were you in a physical fight? During the past 12 months, how many times were you in a physical fight on school property? During the past 30 days, on how many days did you not go to school because you felt you would be unsafe at school or on your way to and from school? Notes: (a) Significant difference by sex, p<0.05. Percentages for questions asking for frequencies indicate “at least once”. Girls n=323 % (95% CI) 12.7 (8.6-18.3) 8.7 (5.6-13.1) 29.9 (23.7-37.0) 7.4 (4.8-11.2) 7.4 (4.2-12.7) Boys n=320 % (95% CI) 42.4a (35.6-49.6) 30.0a (26.7-33.5) 49.2a (42.6-55.9) 29.7a (24.3-35.8) 7.1 (4.1-12.0) AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2005 VOL. 29 NO. 1 New Zealand Weapon carrying by high school students most favourable perceptions of school were 26% less likely to report carrying a weapon compared with those having mid-level favourable perceptions. Discussion The prevalence of weapon carrying in this sample of Dunedin high school students was relatively high. Indeed, there was little difference between reports of carrying a weapon in the last 30 days among Dunedin boys and girls (19.3%) and in an equivalent sample from the US (17.4%).4 In this regard, the age range of students in the present study also corresponded to the peak ages for weapon carrying among US students.3 Previous NZ data have produced a range of prevalence estimates of weapon carrying between 3% and 10%. Clearly, our estimates are high, but comparison with this earlier research is problematic given differences in assessment among the studies ranging from our computer-based survey to personal interviews in the DMHDS.10 Weapon carrying was related to fighting in general, feeling unsafe at school, and unfavourable perceptions of the school climate, suggesting that weapon carrying is part of a broader pattern of aggressive behaviours and may be specifically linked to aspects of the school environment. What are we to make of these high prevalences? One possibility is that respondents misinterpreted the meaning of “weapon” and included such actions as carrying a rifle for hunting or a knife for fishing. The section on carrying a weapon, engaging in physical fights and feeling unsafe was prefaced by the words “the next 7 questions ask about violence-related behaviours” and this may have reduced the chances of any such misinterpretation. Furthermore, the question on weapon carrying did specify examples such as a gun, knife or club. Nevertheless, more contextual information could have clarified the meanings respondents placed on the word “weapon”. On the positive side, this study yielded a high response rate. All Dunedin high schools took part, as did 84% of eligible students. There were only four instances of direct refusals to participate. It is likely that the sample is representative of Dunedin students. We investigated alternative educational institutions in Dunedin and estimated only about 8-10 Year 11 students were enrolled in them. While we were unable to estimate numbers of students in home schooling, it is likely that this number is not high. The survey itself was based upon a well-researched US instrument, the YRBS, which has been used previously in a NZ setting.9 We believe these results highlight the potential importance of weapon carrying among high school students in NZ. They also serve to confirm the links between carrying a weapon and broader aspects of physical aggression. What has to be determined are adolescent perceptions concerning what might constitute a weapon, the lethality of any weapons being carried, and the context in which they might be used. A recent focus group-based study13 of perceptions of violence among urban children might act as a good model for further research on this topic in NZ. Acknowledgements We wish to thank Shirley Jones from the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, who helped with data collection. We also extend our thanks to the many Dunedin high school principals, teachers and school counsellors who were involved in planning and carrying out the survey. Finally, thanks must go to the students who took part so willingly.

Journal

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health – Wiley

Published: Feb 1, 2005

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