Violence in rural communities: youth speak out!

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The current available literature does not present the viewpoints of rural youths regarding the meaning of violence. DESIGN: A mixed method exploratory, descriptive study was conducted to generate information from rural youth about violence. The qualitative phase of the exploratory, descriptive study is reported here. RESULTS: Interviews with fifty-two youth (20 males and 32 females), ranging in age from 11 to 19 years in grades 7-12 in the public school system were conducted in two rural communities. The participants initially defined violence as a physical act with intent to harm, but did not consider weapon carrying as an issue in their communities. They identified alcohol consumption as a trigger for violence and described planned fights that occurred away from school grounds. Physical fights were not limited to the male students. The youth openly stated that violence exists in rural communities and felt isolated from adults with regard to understanding the youths' experiences with violence. CONCLUSION: It is important to generate information about violence directly from rural youth. Programs to reduce violence that include the youth are important to pursue.