RESPONSE OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS IN NORTH-CAROLINA TO GUN CARRYING BY SCHOOL MATES

Response of African-American Adolescents in North Carolina to study ex amined adolescents' perceptions concerning the presence of guns in the ir school and the adolescents' emotional and behavioral responses asso ciated with these perceptions. Survey data from 376 African-American s ixth, seventh, and eighth grade students of a low-income area of a Nor th Carolina city were studied. Twenty-eight percent of adolescents rep orted that other students brought guns to school, 36% felt afraid that someone would hurt or attack them while at school, 15% avoided school (Or places in school) because of fear that a student would hurt or at tack them, and 20% carried weapons, to school for self-protection. Log istic regression analyses found that compared to their peers, adolesce nts who perceived that their school,nates brought guns to school were almost twice as likely to experience fear while at school, were more t han three times more likely to exhibit school avoidance behavior, and were more than twice as likely to bring a weapon to school themselves for self-protection. Educators and school health professionals are urg ed to work together to address these problems concerning school safety .