Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

School Connectedness, Anger Behaviors, And Relationships Of Violent And Nonviolent Youth, Sandra Thomas, H. Smith

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

PROBLEM: Youth violence research often focuses on risk factors arising from early familial interactions rather than school-related factors. METHODS: Via an Internet questionnaire, 282 girls and boys (ages 7-19, mean 15.3) from 47 states and Washington, DC, reported on school connectedness, interpersonal relationships, and anger behaviors. FINDINGS: Substantial percentages of violent youth did not perceive themselves to be liked by classmates and reported loneliness. If not liked by classmates, 80% hated school. Likers and haters of school differed on seven variables (all p < or = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient attention is paid to the alienation experienced by disliked and lonely students. Mental health nurses could play a pivotal role in fostering change in the social climate of schools and helping youth to achieve better anger management and social skills.

Speech-Language Pathologists' Opinions On Communication Disorders And Violence, Dixie Sanger, Barbara J. Moore-Brown, Judith Montgomery, Susan Hellerich

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: This study investigated the opinions of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding their role, education, and training in serving students with communication disorders who have been involved in violence.

Method: A survey consisting of 26 items was given to 598 SLPs from eight states representing geographic regions of the United States.

Results: Participants acknowledged that violence is an increasing concern. They also recognized the valuable role they have in planning prevention programs and serving on multidisciplinary teams. In contrast, SLPs' opinions suggested that they did not feel well trained to deal with violence, nor did they feel that …