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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
Violence and social capital among young men in Beirut
Taghreed El Hajj1, Rema A Afifi, Marwan Khawaja
1Department of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Background:
Research on the links between violence and social capital has produced mixed results and is mainly limited to Western countries.
Aims:
To assess the relationship of social capital to physical fights among unmarried boys aged 13-19 years living in three disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the outskirts of Beirut, controlling for variables associated with youth violence. Lebanon has a history of civil and cross-border war, which may influence the production of violence at the individual level.
Methods:
674 boys were interviewed. The dependent variable was being involved in a physical fight in the last 3 months. The independent variable was social capital, classified into six categories: civic engagement and community development; locational capital; trust; reciprocity; hypothetical social support; and social network.
Results:
One fifth (20%) had been in a fight in the last 3 months. Youth who were members of a group, who had been victimised, who could ask for help from a family member/friend/neighbour when they had a problem, and who liked living in their neighbourhood were more likely to be involved in a fight.
Conclusion:
This research supports the literature that indicates that physical fights are positively related to both individual and social capital variables. Social capital had a detrimental effect on physical fights. This may be related to bonding in a gang-like way. While high levels of social capital are good for other health outcomes and thus should not be reduced, interventions that channel youth energy in positive ways are needed.
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