Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The impact of exposure to violence in the media on the long-term development and short-term expression of aggressive behavior has been well documented. However, gaps in this literature remain, and in particular the role of violent media exposure in shaping violent and other serious antisocial behavior has not been investigated.
In this study, we analyzed data on youth, including juvenile delinquents and high school students, to examine the relation of violent media use to involvement in violence and general aggression. Findings represent a new and important direction for research on the role of violent media use in the broader matrix of risk factors for youth violence.
On June 24, , six teenagers from Long Island, NY, launched a two hour long crime spree in which they committed a violent mugging and several break-ins and thefts before finally being caught after a carjacking attempt Crowley Broadly speaking, antisocial behavior in adolescence is multiply determined, with risk factors at multiple levels spanning biological, psychological, and contextual influences Dodge et al.
Theoretical models of the development of antisocial behavior have embraced this equifinality, acknowledging the numerous ways in which different loci of risk can interact to promote habitual antisocial responses Dodge and Pettit ; Frick and Morris ; Guerra and Huesmann Contemporary strategies for the assessment of youths' violent and nonviolent antisocial behavior involve multiple methods and multiple informants to ensure that the full spectrum of risk is covered Borum and Verhaagen ; McMahon and Frick Best practice approaches to the treatment of antisocial behavior require multi-component interventions involving the interlocking personal and contextual systems that maintain youths' antisocial behavior Boxer and Frick ; Guerra et al.
Importantly, however, much of the current literature on the development, assessment, and treatment of adolescent antisocial behaviorβand associated outcomes such as violence, delinquency, and conduct disorderβoverlooks one critical risk factor for aggression: exposure to violent media. Yet it is not surprising given the current state of empirical research on violent media effects.
