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Risk Factors of Academic Performance: Experiences of School Violence, School Safety Concerns, and Depression by Gender

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Abstract

Background

Experiencing school violence can have a detrimental effect on learning. However, it is unclear whether different types of school violence have different impacts based on gender. Moreover, there is insufficient understanding of the direct and indirect effects of experiencing school violence on academic performance through perceived school safety concerns and student depression.

Objective

Drawing on ecological systems theory and adversity literature, this study examined the direct and indirect effects by gender of three forms of experiencing school violence (physical fighting, threats of weapon-related violence, and bullying), through school safety concerns and depression, on adolescent academic performance.

Methods

Cross-sectional data were drawn from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior System Survey, a national sample of students in grades 9–12. Multigroup path analysis was conducted to test direct and indirect associations and gender differences.

Results

Fighting, threats, and bullying were significantly associated with higher levels of school safety concerns and depression for students, which led to lower academic performance for both females and males. The majority of the effects, in both direct and indirect associations, were significantly greater among female than male students.

Conclusions

The results of this study provide important insight into the complex relationships between experiencing school violence, perceptions of school safety, sadness and hopelessness and their relationship to academic performance.

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Data Availability

YRBSS is readily available and furnished through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All authors equally take responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the data analysis.

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Author notes

  1. Youn Kyoung Kim, Jane E. Sanders, Timothy Makubuya have contributed equally to this paper

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA

    Youn Kyoung Kim

  2. School of Social Work, King’s University College at Western University, London, Canada

    Jane E. Sanders

  3. College of Education, University of Missouri–St. Louis, St. Louis, USA

    Timothy Makubuya

  4. School of Social Work, Department of Public Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA

    Mansoo Yu

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  1. Youn Kyoung Kim
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  2. Jane E. Sanders
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  3. Timothy Makubuya
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  4. Mansoo Yu
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Correspondence to Youn Kyoung Kim.

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Kim, Y.K., Sanders, J.E., Makubuya, T. et al. Risk Factors of Academic Performance: Experiences of School Violence, School Safety Concerns, and Depression by Gender. Child Youth Care Forum 49, 725–742 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-020-09552-7

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