This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Multiple-victim school-associated homicides on the rise
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The trend of single-victim, school-associated homicide rates has not changed over a period of more than 20 years; however, multiple-victim incidents significantly increased between 2009 and 2018, according to an MMWR.
“School-associated youth homicides are devastating for families, schools and entire communities, and these incidents result in a substantial number of victims even though they account for less than 2% of all youth homicides,” Kristin Holland, PhD, MPH, the team leader for the Morbidity & Behavioral Surveillance Team in the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention, told Infectious Diseases in Children.
Holland and colleagues analyzed data from the CDC’s School-Associated Violent Death Surveillance System. They found 393 single-victim incidents occurring between July 1994 and June 2016 and 38 multiple victim incidents — resulting in 121 youth homicides — between July 1994 and June 2018.
The researchers reported that the overall 22-year trend for single-victim homicide rates had not changed. They said there was a decrease in multiple-victim school-associated homicide incidents between July 1994 and June 2009, but this was followed by a significant increase that lasted through the 2017-2018 school year.
According to the CDC, the increase in multiple-victim homicide rates stemmed from a large number of incidents occurring between 2016 and 2018.
School-associated single-victim homicides shared characteristics with youth homicides in the community, the researchers said. They often involved male, racial minority or ethnic minority victims and occurred in urban settings.
Most homicides — both single-victim (62.8%) and multiple-victim (95%) — were from injuries related to firearms.
According to Holland, the findings of the report suggest the perpetration of these incidents was often motivated by a desire to “seek retaliation or an interpersonal dispute.” This opens up the possibility to intervene, she said.
“Prevention programs that help youth build healthy problem-solving and coping skills could help to prevent violence, particularly among youth who have been violent previously,” Holland said. – by Bruce Thiel
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts