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The Role of Violent Media Preference in Cumulative Developmental Risk for Violence and General Aggression

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Abstract

The impact of exposure to violence in the media on the long-term development and short-term expression of aggressive behavior has been well documented. However, gaps in this literature remain, and in particular the role of violent media exposure in shaping violent and other serious antisocial behavior has not been investigated. Further, studies of violent media effects typically have not sampled from populations with confirmed histories of violent and/or nonviolent antisocial behavior. In this study, we analyzed data on 820 youth, including 390 juvenile delinquents and 430 high school students, to examine the relation of violent media use to involvement in violence and general aggression. Using criterion scores developed through cross-informant modeling of data from self, parent/guardian, and teacher/staff reports, we observed that childhood and adolescent violent media preferences contributed significantly to the prediction of violence and general aggression from cumulative risk totals. Findings represent a new and important direction for research on the role of violent media use in the broader matrix of risk factors for youth violence.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control (U49-CE000207). The authors acknowledge assistance with data collection and processing provided by Andrea Kaye, Amelia Deschamps, and the interview staff of the Aggression Research Program. The authors extend appreciation to the youth, families, teachers, and agency staff who provided data for this investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, 101 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA

    Paul Boxer

  2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Paul Boxer, L. Rowell Huesmann, Brad J. Bushman, Maureen O’Brien & Dominic Moceri

  3. VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Brad J. Bushman

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  1. Paul Boxer
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  2. L. Rowell Huesmann
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  3. Brad J. Bushman
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  4. Maureen O’Brien
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  5. Dominic Moceri
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Correspondence to Paul Boxer.

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Boxer, P., Rowell Huesmann, L., Bushman, B.J. et al. The Role of Violent Media Preference in Cumulative Developmental Risk for Violence and General Aggression. J Youth Adolescence 38, 417–428 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9335-2

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