THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN WEAPON-CARRYING AND THE USE OF VIOLENCE AMONG ADOLESCENTS LIVING IN OR AROUND PUBLIC-HOUSING

The study examined social and psychological factors associated with the frequency of weapon-carrying by Black adolescents living in a community where there is extensive poverty and a high level of violent crime. Using a cross-sectional anonymous survey design adolescents (N=225; males=44%) ages 11 to 19 years living in or around nine HUD housing projects in Augusta, Georgia were administered an anonymous questionnaire. The dependent variables were the number of days that a weapon, such as a gun, knife, or club was carried in the previous 30 days and the frequency that a hidden weapon was carried in the last year. Carrying a weapon during the previous 30 days was significantly (p<0.05) associated with previous exposure to violence and victimization, age, corporal punishment scale, depression, family conflict, purpose in life, and the self-appraised probability of being alive at age 25, and was higher among males. Based on multiple regression analysis, previous exposure and victimization to violence, gender, age, and self-appraised probability of being alive at age 25 explained 17 per cent of the variation in frequency of weapon-carrying. The exposure to violence and victimization scale, school grade, and probability of being alive at age 25 explained 12.1 per cent of the variation in frequency of carrying a hidden weapon in the last year. The two indicators of weapon-carrying were not associated with family structure, religious behavior, or any other demographic variable. (C) 1995 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents