Handgun Carrying Among Youth in the United States: an Analysis of Subtypes

Despite a wealth of research finding that adolescents who carry handguns are involved in risky behaviors, there has been little exploration into the heterogeneity of this behavior. Using a pooled sample of 12- to 17-year-olds from the National Study on Drug Use and Health who report past-year handgu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vaughn, Michael G. (Author)
Contributors: DeLisi, Matt ; Boutwell, Brian B. ; Salas-Wright, Christopher P. ; Curtis, Mary P.
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2017
In: Youth violence and juvenile justice
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Delinquency
Drug Abuse
Handguns
Violence
Youth
Description
Summary:Despite a wealth of research finding that adolescents who carry handguns are involved in risky behaviors, there has been little exploration into the heterogeneity of this behavior. Using a pooled sample of 12- to 17-year-olds from the National Study on Drug Use and Health who report past-year handgun carrying (N = 7,872), this study identified four subgroups of handgun carriers: low risk (n = 3,831; 47.93%), alcohol and marijuana users (n = 1,591; 20.16%), fighters (n = 1,430; 19.40%), and severe externalizers (n = 1,020, 12.51%). These subgroups differed on demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics. Findings are discussed in light of prevention and focused deterrence.
ISSN:1556-9330
DOI:10.1177/1541204016629721