School connectedness, anger behaviors, and relationships of violent and nonviolent American youth
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1College of Nursing, Knoxville, TN, USA. sthomas@utk.edu
Problem:
Youth violence research often focuses on risk factors arising from early familial interactions rather than school-related factors.
Methods:
Via an Internet questionnaire, 282 girls and boys (ages 7-19, mean 15.3) from 47 states and Washington, DC, reported on school connectedness, interpersonal relationships, and anger behaviors.
Findings:
Substantial percentages of violent youth did not perceive themselves to be liked by classmates and reported loneliness. If not liked by classmates, 80% hated school. Likers and haters of school differed on seven variables (all p < or = .01).
Conclusions:
Insufficient attention is paid to the alienation experienced by disliked and lonely students. Mental health nurses could play a pivotal role in fostering change in the social climate of schools and helping youth to achieve better anger management and social skills.
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