Perceptions of school violence as a problem and reports of violent events: a national survey of school social workers

Soc Work. 1997 Jan;42(1):55-68. doi: 10.1093/sw/42.1.55.

Abstract

Awareness of violence as a problem is important in developing school-based interventions to reduce violence. How would social workers who reported a potentially lethal event in their schools within the past year rate the seriousness of the problem in their schools? What variables would be associated with the perception of a serious violence problem in a school? These questions were explored in a national survey of school social workers. The results suggest that school social workers did not perceive violence as a serious problem on the basis of a single event even when the event was life threatening. From a zero-tolerance perspective, school violence as a problem was underestimated in all community settings but more often in suburban and rural settings than in inner-city or urban settings. The social workers' perception of a serious problem was contingent on the presence of multiple types of violence and the community setting of the school.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attitude*
  • Child
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Schools*
  • Social Problems*
  • Social Work*
  • United States
  • Violence*