Many Bullied Teens Carry Weapons to School, Study Finds

[Photo by Diego Grez]

Large numbers of U.S. high school students who are bullied take weapons to school, a new study finds.

"Victims of bullying who have been threatened, engaged in a fight, injured or had property stolen or damaged are much more likely to carry a gun or knife to school," said study senior investigator Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 15,000 U.S. high school students who took part in a 2011 survey. They found that teens who suffered many types of bullying are up to 31 times more likely to bring weapons such as guns and knives to school than those who have not been bullied.

The 20 percent of students who said they'd been bullied were more likely to be in lower grades, female and white, the researchers said. Almost 9 percent of them reported bringing weapons to school compared to less than 5 percent of kids who weren't bullied.

Those more likely to admit "packing" for school said they had missed school because they felt unsafe either there or on the way to school; had property stolen or damaged; had been threatened or injured with a weapon; or had been in a physical fight. 

http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/adolescents-and-teen-health-news-719/many-bullied-teens-carry-weapons-to-school-finds-study-687343.html