Predictors of injury from fighting among adolescent males

Abstract

These findings suggest that injuries associated with fighting are a health risk among adolescent males. Certain behaviors, such as fighting in groups and fighting with strangers, increase the likelihood of injuries requiring medical attention.

Cross-national Study of Fighting and Weapon Carrying as Determinants of Adolescent Injury

“…Physical fighting is the most common manifestation of interpersonal violence in adolescence. 1 Although researchers have documented fighting as an obvious and direct cause of adolescent injury, 11 our results support the idea that fighting is a marker for a lifestyle that has inherent injury risks for both boys and girls. In the past, a lifestyle that includes fighting has been described as a behavioral syndrome that can include substance use, truancy, and other problem behaviors during adolescence.…”

“…Similarly, because these findings are based on classroom samples in selected countries, they will not be representative of adolescents in special or nonclassroom settings. Although the obvious link between physical fighting and fighting injury is established, 11 because of sample-size limitations we were unable to study this association, and the etiologic analyses were limited to more common injury outcomes. Finally, although the rates and trends in the occurrence of violence are thought to be representative of the countries under study, they are less likely to depict the experiences of adolescents in other (eg, war-torn 14,15 ) countries.…”

“…Several studies have also examined correlates of violent behaviors, including their associations with psychosocial health, 9 substance use, 10 and fighting-related injury. 11 Results from these studies have broadened our knowledge of the global impact that adolescent violence has on public health. Existing international comparisons of youth violence have focused on the frequency of adolescent violence-related behaviors in a small number of countries, 12 comparisons of episodes of school violence and its determinants in Israeli and Arabic student populations, 13 studies of "child soldiers" in countries engaged in civil and international warfare, 14,15 international comparisons of firearmrelated mortality, 3 and, as part of more general international comparisons, examinations of firearm regulations and rates of homicide, 3,16,17 robberies and sexual assaults, 17,18 and suicide.…”

“…19,20 Using such indicators, analyses of the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health have shown that group fighting, fighting with strangers, and weapon use all lead directly to elevated risks for fighting-related injury. 11 Furthermore, these measures might also be considered as markers for a more complex behavioral syndrome of "multiple-problem" 21 or "multiple-risk" 22 behavior. This syndrome may lead to a variety of adverse health problems (eg, depression, somatic health complaints, trauma) that go beyond injuries experienced as a result of physical fights.…”

Unintentional injuries in school-aged children and adolescents: lessons from a systematic review of cohort studies

“…In contrast with the descriptive data reported, the two papers that analysed injury risk by age of the child found either no differences greater than chance36 or more injuries in younger children 13. Four US cohorts26 35 – 37 reported no statistically significant differences in injury occurrence between different ethnic groups, in contrast with one study from China13 that found more injuries in minority ethnic groups.…”