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Youth violence victims and perpetrators in Ontario: identifying a high-risk group and a focus for public health prevention

  • Special Section on Substance Use: Quantitative Research
  • Published:
Canadian Journal of Public Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Bullying and violence are common experiences and pose significant lifelong burdens of disease for youth. This study identifies upstream determinants of youth violence and examines the shared characteristics of victims and perpetrators.

Methods

Multivariable multinomial logistic regression modeling analyzed a subsample of 5403 students who participated in the 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey to estimate the likelihood that students with various risk profiles were victims and perpetrators.

Results

Risk factors associated with an increased likelihood of being both a victim and a perpetrator, compared to neither, included harmful alcohol use, potential problem drug use, psychological distress, traumatic brain injury, problem video game playing, fighting, and carrying a weapon in the past 12 months. Many risk factors were more strongly associated with both victimization and perpetration relative to reporting either alone.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates an association between risk factors of interest to public health for students reporting both victimization and perpetration. This group may warrant further targeted public health interventions to prevent violence alongside existing public health programs addressing other health risk behaviours.

Résumé

Objectifs

L’intimidation et la violence sont des expériences courantes et constituent un lourd fardeau pour les jeunes, tout au long de leur vie. Cette étude cerne en amont les déterminants de la violence chez les jeunes et examine les caractéristiques communes des victimes et des agresseurs.

Méthodes

La modélisation de régression logistique multinomiale et multivariable a été utilisée pour analyser un sous-échantillon de 5403 étudiants ayant participé au Sondage sur la consommation de drogues et la santé des élèves de l’Ontario de 2015 afin d’estimer la probabilité que les élèves présentant divers profils de risque soient victimes et agresseurs.

Résultats

Les facteurs de risque associés à une probabilité accrue d’être à la fois une victime et un agresseur, sans autre comparaison, sont les suivants : consommation d’alcool nuisible, possible consommation problématique de drogues, détresse psychologique, traumatisme cérébral, usage problématique de jeux vidéo, enclin à la bagarre et au port d’arme au cours des 12 derniers mois. De nombreux facteurs de risque étaient plus fortement associés à la fois aux victimes et aux agresseurs, plutôt qu’à l’un ou à l’autre.

Conclusion

Cette étude démontre un lien entre les facteurs de risque d’intérêt pour la santé publique touchant les élèves qui signalent à la fois être une victime et un agresseur. Ce groupe pourrait justifier des interventions ciblées sur d’autres comportements à risque afin de prévenir la violence, en plus des programmes de santé publique existants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 100 Main St W, Suite 2006, Hamilton, ON, L8P1H6, Canada

    Thomas Piggott

  2. Public Health Ontario, 480 University Ave, Suite 300, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V2, Canada

    Thomas Piggott, Daniel Harrington, Peter D. Donnelly & Heather Manson

  3. School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Daniel Harrington

  4. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada

    Robert Mann, Hayley A. Hamilton & Heather Manson

  5. Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S1, Canada

    Robert Mann & Hayley A. Hamilton

Authors
  1. Thomas Piggott
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  2. Daniel Harrington
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  3. Robert Mann
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  4. Hayley A. Hamilton
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  5. Peter D. Donnelly
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  6. Heather Manson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Piggott.

Ethics declarations

The study was approved by the Public Health Ontario’s Ethics Review Board.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Piggott, T., Harrington, D., Mann, R. et al. Youth violence victims and perpetrators in Ontario: identifying a high-risk group and a focus for public health prevention. Can J Public Health 109, 195–203 (2018). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0061-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0061-6

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