From: CNN
Violence spreads among teens like a contagious disease, study says
January 3, 2017
CNN:
A friend sneezes, you’re likely to catch a cold. Violence can be similarly contagious among middle and high school students, results of a study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Public Health suggest.
Teens are 48% more likely to get involved in a serious fight and 183% more likely to hurt someone badly enough to require medical attention if a friend had done so, say researchers from Ohio State University.
“Other studies have shown we are influenced by our friends, but no other study has looked at whether, or how far the behavior spreads,” said co-author Brad J. Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology and researcher on aggression and violence.
…
The assessment of violence is based on interviews with the teens — and this is a problem, said Frank Farley, a psychologist and professor at Temple University and a former president of the American Psychological Association. He said he wonders “how honestly people would answer a question” about whether they pulled a gun on another person or hurt someone badly.
Read the whole story: CNN
More of our Members in the Media >
APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines.
Please login with your APS account to comment.