Examining the Relationship of Bullying, School Violence, Mental Health and Adolescent Gun Carrying

Background and Purpose: This study examines the factors influencing weapon carrying among adolescents, focusing on race, bullying victimization, school fighting, and mental health struggles during this critical developmental period while moderating for gender. Prior literature consistently finds a higher prevalence among males. Given the disproportionate rates of school discipline and violence affecting marginalized racial groups, the findings can inform targeted intervention strategies, school policies, and mental health supports to enhance school safety and equity. This research contributes to broader discussions on school climate, disciplinary practices, and violence prevention by identifying key risk factors and offering insights into the complex interplay of violence exposure, mental well-being, and adolescent behavior. Researching adolescent gun carrying helps identify risk factors and inform prevention strategies to reduce youth violence and long-term harm.

Methods: Using logistic regression analysis and moderation with the data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), the study aims to assess the unique contributions of these predictors while exploring whether gender moderates the relationship between victimization and weapon carrying. This study uses data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of U.S. adolescents. The YRBS employs a three-stage cluster sampling method to capture a diverse adolescent sample, with participants anonymously self-reporting behaviors related to health risks. Key variables include race, bullying victimization, school fighting, mental health, gender, and weapon carrying, with logistic regression used to examine their impact on weapon carrying (1 = yes, 0 = no). Gender interactions were also explored. Survey weights were applied to ensure the findings are generalizable to the national adolescent population.

Results: Bullying victimization was significantly associated with gun carrying (OR = 0.37, p < 0.001), with those not bullied having 63.4% lower odds of carrying a gun. School fighting was also associated with gun carrying, with odds increasing as fighting frequency rises. Mental health was a significant factor, with “Always” responses indicating three times higher odds of carrying a gun. An indication of severe mental health problems. Race/ethnicity and school environment are not significant predictors. Gender is significant, with males having 1.87 times higher odds of carrying a gun. Race/ethnicity partially moderated the relationship between bullying and gun carrying; specifically, the relationship between bullying and gun carrying was stronger for American Indian/Native American youth than Black youth.

Conclusions and Implications: Bullying, school fights, and mental health significantly influence adolescent gun carrying, with frequent fighting and male gender increasing the odds. Severe mental health issues also contribute, while race/ethnicity effects vary. Addressing bullying, violence, and mental health through targeted interventions—especially for high-risk groups—may reduce gun carrying. Gender-specific strategies are crucial, as males have higher odds of carrying weapons