Table 1.
Descriptive statistics for student-reported risk and protective factors in Victoria and Washington State at the first assessment (n =1,905 Victoria; n = 1,913 Washington State)
| Victoria Mean (SD) | Washington Mean (SD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual risk factors | ||
| Impulsivity | 1.99 (0.56)* | 1.92 (0.57) |
| (eg, “I rush into things, starting before I know what to do”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .57-.59 | ||
| Individual protective factors | ||
| Emotion control | 2.64 (0.64) | 2.77 (0.66)* |
| (eg. “I control my temper when people are angry with me”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .72-.75 | ||
| Family risk factors | ||
| Family conflict | 2.25 (0.78) | 2.28 (0.78) |
| (eg. “People in my family often insult or yell at each other”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .70-.80 | ||
| Family protective factors | ||
| Attachment to mother | 3.25 (0.68) | 3.18 (0.74) |
| (eg. “Do you share your thoughts and feelings with your mother?”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .85 | ||
| Peer risk factor | ||
| Association with violent peers | 1.26 (0.66) | 1.25 (0.67) |
| (eg. “In the past 12 months how many of your best friends attacked someone with the idea of seriously hurting them?”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha N/A (1 item) | ||
| School risk factors | ||
| School grades | 2.00 (0.65) | 2.06 (0.73) |
| (eg. “Putting them all together, what were your grades/marks like last year?”) | ||
| Low commitment to school | 2.23 (0.61) | 2.23 (0.59) |
| (eg. “How often do you feel that the schoolwork you are assigned is meaningful and important?”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .53-.79 | ||
| School protective factors | ||
| Opportunities for prosocial involvement | 2.98 (0.48) | 3.04 (0.41)* |
| (eg. “I have lots of chances to be part of class discussions or activities.”) | ||
| Recognition for prosocial involvement | 2.87 (0.58) | 2.82 (0.56) |
| (eg. “The school lets my parents know when I have done something well”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .52-.71 | ||
| Community risk factors | ||
| Community disorganisation | 1.48 (0.52) | 1.50 (0.58) |
| (eg. crime and/or drug selling in the neighbourhood) | ||
| Norms favourable to drug use | 1.72 (0.69)* | 1.56 (0.71) |
| (eg. “How wrong would most adults (over 21) in your neighbourhood think it is for kids to drink alcohol?”) | ||
| Enforcement favourable to drug use | 2.60 (0.80) | 2.64 (0.84) |
| (eg. “If a kid drank some alcohol (like beer, wine or liquor/spirits) in your neighbourhood would he or she be caught by the police?”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .76-.85 | ||
| Community protective factor | ||
| Opportunities for prosocial involvement | 2.61 (0.66) | 2.67 (0.69)* |
| (eg. “There are lots of adults in my neighbourhood I could talk to about something important”) | ||
| Recognition for prosocial involvement | 2.35 (0.87) | 2.38 (0.92) |
| (eg. “My neighbours notice when I am doing a good job and let me know about it”) | ||
| Cronbach alpha .66-.90 | ||
| Victoria % | Washington % | |
| Individual risk factor | ||
| Binge drinking | 19.4*** | 7.9 |
| Social response risk factors | ||
| School suspensions | 8.8 | 11.3** |
| Arrests | 1.8 | 3.6** |
Note. Risk and protective factors are generally scored on a 4-point scale.
*
p < .0036 (Bonferroni adjustment) state differences using (unadjusted) independent samples t-test;
**
p < .01;
***
p < .001