African-American and Latino Parents’ Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Adolescent Fighting and Its Prevention

Abstract

Adolescent fighting affects 25% of youth, with the highest rates among African-Americans and Latinos but little is known about parental views on youth fighting. The purpose of this study was to examine African-American and Latino parents’ perspectives on adolescent fighting and methods to prevent fighting. We conducted four focus groups with parents of African-American and Latino urban adolescents. Focus groups were stratified by race/ethnicity and fighting status. Groups were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed by three independent coders using thematic content analysis. Seventy-six percent of the 17 participants were female. Latino parents condoned fighting only as a last resort, and taught children about consequences of fighting, emotional regulation, and non-violent conflict-resolution strategies. African-American parents endorsed teaching non-violent strategies, but expressed some doubts about their effectiveness. African-American parents also suggested corporal punishment, but acknowledged that this may not be an optimal long-term strategy. Positive role modeling and involvement by teachers and other adults were cited as having important roles in fighting prevention. Suggested interventions included teaching adolescents non-violent conflict-resolution skills, anger management, and alternatives to fighting. Parents recommended that violence prevention programs incorporate the experiences of former fighters and be tailored to community needs. Study findings suggest that youth violence-prevention programs may benefit from addressing parental attitudes towards fighting and parent-child communication about fighting, teaching adolescents non-violent conflict-resolution skills, and tailoring programs by race/ethnicity. Promoting positive modeling and involvement by teachers and other adults also may be beneficial.

Gender stigma awareness is associated with adolescent risky health behaviors

“…For example, recent studies show that Latinx adolescents had higher levels of substance use in early adolescence and African American students had higher final levels of smoking and marijuana use compared to students of other racial groups [ 2 , 3 ]. Moreover, being an African American student, compared to being a white student, was associated with lower delinquent behavior scores, although adolescent fighting was most frequent among African American and Latinx students [ 4 , 5 ]. Further, studies show that substance use dependence, delinquent behavior, and fighting is generally greater among males than females [ 6 ].…”

Caregiver and Adolescent Discrepancies in Perceptions of Violence and Their Associations with Early Adolescent Aggression

“…Caregivers’/parents’ role in preventing violence through the setting of expectations of behavior in potential conflict situations appears to operate regardless of the context of the violence and the potentially different motivations for aggression. In a recent qualitative study of low-income families, parents felt strongly that violence prevention began at home and that they served as important role models (Chen, Flores, & Shetgiri, 2015). Interestingly, our study is one of the first to explore the role of caregiver’s report of messages supportive of violence on either adolescent or caregiver report of aggression.…”

Fight Navigator: Exploring the Feasibility of a Retaliatory Violence Prevention Program to Help Youth Manage the Code of the Street

“…These interventions focus primarily on improving a young person's capacity to regulate affect and improve social-processing capacity. There tends to be less of a focus on addressing the cultural norms that dictate that the only acceptable response to a situation is to fight (Chen, Flores, & Shetgiri, 2016;Heller et al, 2016). Further, the expected outcome of many violence prevention efforts is that the young person will walk away from a potential conflict (Blake & Hamrin, 2007).…”