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Abstract: 

This article focuses on the use of aggression and violence among adolescent females in suburban schools and includes an investigation into working with highrisk adolescent girls who had previously failed at school, victimized others and been victimized themselves, engaged in a variety of risk behaviors including the misuse of substances, and become pregnant while still in their teen years. In our five-year study on the use of aggression and violence among adolescent females in suburban schools, we focused on tracking and investigating the nature and incidence of violence and victimization among the females in the participating schools and examined the cultural and social factors correlated tothe involvement in aggressive and violent behaviors, including the climate and conditions of the schools that the research participants attended. The findings that we describe here highlight the importance of providing safe, well-staffed, learning-based, supportive environments and services to high-risk adolescent girls and that under such conditions, high-risk girls can become “willing and able” to set aside their risk-based behaviors and concentrate on learning the knowledge and skills necessary to developing and sustaining healthy relationships and to attaining positive life goals.

Keywords: Aggression and violence; school connectdness

Affiliations:  1: University of Victoria; 2: University of Victoria.