School Violent Victimization and Alcohol Use among Youth

School violent victimization is a significant public health concern among US youth. Approximately 1 in 5 adolescents reportedly have been victimized. Consequences that occur from youth victimization include anxiety, depression, loneliness, social anxiety, unsafe school environments, lower educational achievement, relationship difficulties, and alcohol use and abuse. Alcohol use is also a significant health issue among youth as an estimated 75% has reportedly used alcohol within their lifetime. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of school violent victimization on student involvement in recent alcohol use and episodic heavy drinking among students in 7th through 12th grade students (N = 54,361) in Greater Cincinnati schools. The PRIDE national survey was administered to youth in their classrooms. Results indicated that 38.3% of students were involved in school violent victimization. School violent victimization differed significantly based on sex, race, and grade level. Logistic regression analyses revealed that school violent victimization was associated with increased the odds of recent alcohol use and episodic heavy drinking among males, females, 7th and 8th grade students and 9th through 12th grade students. Findings from this study may be beneficial to prevention and health professionals interested in preventing violent-related behaviors and alcohol use among youth. In addition, future studies should seek to identify specific activities that can be implemented within the family, school, and community to help protect students from school violent victimization and prevent alcohol use among youth.