Examining Youth Narratives of Violence

• In Event: Effects of Exposure to Violence

Abstract

Research indicates that a majority of children are exposed to violence through witness to, or a victim of, violence in their home, school or community. Youth exposure to violence is known to lead to negative psychological and social outcomes that include mental health problems, issues with problem behavior and academic difficulty. The purpose of this study is to examine youth narratives of violence to understand (1) the nature of youth exposure to violence among middle school children in Boston; and (2) youth perceptions and beliefs regarding violence. This study uses middle school students’ narratives to contextualize their exposure to violence. We conducted a content analysis of 1,094 essays written by students in twenty-one different middles schools through out the Boston public, private, and charter schools. Do the Write Thing Boston collected the essays during their annual essay challenge in the Boston area middle schools. The challenge asks the students to write an essay focused on where they observe or experience violence. Additional data included school demographic and disciplinary records. Themes were identified from the essays using a grounded theory approach and analyzed with relation to gender and school structural characteristics. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Authors

• Heather Zaykowski, University of Massachusetts, Boston

• Lauren Cripps, University of Massachusetts, Boston

• Jacqueline Lageson, University of Massachusetts, Boston