Mass media has been identified as a contributing cause of violent behavior and appears to be a common feature of the environment in which adolescents are growing up. Latino youth, in particular, bear a disproportionate share of violence-related death and injury compared with the general population. This study evaluates the association of video game playing with aggression and fighting, and assesses the role of acculturation in the preference of TV programs and video games with violent themes among a large sample (5,831) of Latino middle school students in Texas. A linear relationship was observed between the time spent playing video games and aggression scores. Higher aggression scores were significantly associated with heavier video playing for boys and girls (p-value=0.000). The more students liked and played violent video games, the more they fought at school (p-value=0.000). As middle school students become more acculturated, their preference for violent video game playing and television viewing increases, as well as the amount of time they play video games. Analysis showed that students who reported speaking more Spanish at home and with their friends are less likely to spend large amounts of time playing video games (p-value <0.05.)
Keywords: Media, Latinos
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.