Violent victimization among America's school children

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between individual and general environmental characteristics for different age groups of youth and the odds of violent victimization in or around school. Data were taken from three nationally representative, stratified samples of youth in elementary (n = 1,090), junior high (n = 692), and senior high school (n = 813). Interviews were conducted with students in 125 schools around the country. Logistic regression was used to estimate differences between nonvictims and victims. Results suggest that, regardless of age, the risk of victimization is higher for students who think it is impossible to walk away from a fight or confrontation. Individual-level variables are consistently more significant in predicting differences between victims and nonvictims; however some general environmental variables are important, particularly for younger age groups. Our findings underscore the importance of examining multilevel variables to better understand the victimization process among different age youth and have direct implications for the design of age-appropriate violence prevention strategies.