INDIVIDUAL AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS OF WEAPON CARRYING AND ASSAULTING WITH WEAPONS IN SCHOOL AMONG HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS IN SERBIA

Carrying weapons to school poses a significant security risk for all individuals involved. The aim of this research was to examine the individual and contextual factors (family- and school-related) of weapons carrying and assaulting with weapon in schools. The research was conducted in 2014 on a sample of 649 high school pupils from Serbia. The results reveal that the common factors of carrying and using weapon are the perpetrators being male and their being victims of peer violence, vengefulness, dominance, anger, lack of empathy, seeking revenge, and limited use of active problem-solving, as well as their fathers tending to have a lower level of education, lower grades, attending vocational schools, and poor academic performance. In addition, victims of bullying in cases of peer violence temd to carry weapon more frequently, and they assault with a weapon just as frequently as bullies do. Pupils who have assaulted someone with a weapon show a tendency towards peer violence and dominance, and have lower cognitive empathy and hostility, compared to pupils who carry a weapon, but have not yet attacked anyone. The results support the vulnerability hypothesis regarding weapon carrying, and the antisocial profile hypothesis regarding assaulting with a weapon. The practical implications of the results refer to the importance of planned, targeted prevention programs in the school context.