National Survey Indicates One in Four Girls Aged 12-17 Were Involved in Serious Fights or Attacks in the Past Year

Prevalence of violent acts differs by family income, school attendance, and levels of substance use

A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that, in the past year, one quarter (26.7 percent) of adolescent girls participated in a serious fight at school or work, group-against-group fight, or an attack on others with the intent to inflict serious harm.

“These findings are alarming,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. “We need to do a better job reaching girls at risk and teaching them how to resolve problems without resorting to violence.”

When combined, 2006 to 2008 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that 18.6 percent of adolescent females got into a serious fight at school or work in the past year, 14.1 percent participated in a group-against-group fight, and 5.7 percent attacked others with the intent to seriously hurt them; one quarter (26.7 percent) of adolescent females engaged in at least one of these violent behaviors in the past year. Other key findings from the NSDUH survey include:


Read on...


The full report is available here. Tom

No comments: