Title: Gun Violence Exposure and Trauma Among Rural Youth

Publication Date: August 2001

What does it say?

This study examines rural youth exposed to gun violence and those youth not exposed to gun violence across a multitude of variables including anger, anxiety, depression, violent behavior, and levels of violence in the home, school, and community, among many others.

The data collected for this study comes from a survey of 2,245 Ohio school students with 549 of the respondents residing in rural communities. Some of the main findings of the study include:

     -25% of the rural youth studied reported being exposed to gun violence at least once.

     -The youth exposed to gun violence reported higher levels of anger, dissociation, stress, and trauma.

In brief, rural youth are susceptible to gun violence just like their urban or suburban counterparts and are not immune to the violence caused by firearms.

How can I use it?

Gun violence is often perceived as an urban problem. Use this study to document that rural areas are also affected.

Citation

Slovak, Karen and Mark Singer, “Gun Violence Exposure and Trauma Among Rural Youth,” Violence and Victims, 16(4) (2001): 389-400