Adolescent Violence: A Narrative Review

Abstract

This narrative review is based on a literature search on PsycINFO and PubMed entering the terms adolescent violence for papers published during the last five years. Following exclusion criteria, 58 papers could be classified as school–based violence (fighting) and dating violence including research on the prevalence and risk factors for these types of violence. The prevalence of school violence has varied by ethnicity, type of violence and culture. The risk factors for school violence are both intrapersonal and interpersonal. The intrapersonal factors include male gender, minority status, middle school level, maladaptive cognitive/ emotional strategies, depression, callous behavior, conduct problems, low cortisol and high testosterone, unhealthy conditions including concussions and obesity, drug abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation and carrying weapons. The interpersonal factors include a lack of parental monitoring, conflict and violence in the family, exposure to violence and to violent social media. The prevalence of dating violence has also varied by gender and culture. The intrapersonal risk factors have included externalizing behavior, sexting both off-line and online, alcohol and marijuana misuse. The interpersonal risk factors include anxious attachment, family violence and peer rejection. Surprisingly, given the prevalence and severity of these problems, very little prevention/intervention research appears in this recent literature. Research is also missing on peer relationships, empathy and psychopathy as potential risk factors. Like other literature on adolescent problems, this research is limited by primarily deriving from self–report, parent report and hospital records.