The effectiveness of the warning signs program in educating youth about violence prevention: a study with urban high school students

Professional School Counseling, Oct, 2003 by Kristin Schaefer-Schiumo, Amy Patraka Ginsberg

The effectiveness of the Warning Signs program in educating urban high school youth about the signs of potential violence in themselves and others was studied. No differences were found with exposure to the program. Rather, students in all groups identified certain personality traits that are suggestive of violence, but ignored family, school, and social contributors. Suggestions for school counselors using this program are presented along with a discussion of the program's limitations.

**********

Youth violence is a major problem in our society, one that has received increased public attention since the rash of school shootings that have tragically occurred in recent years. Despite the fact that juvenile arrests for violent crimes actually dropped 23% from 1995 to 1999, the numbers of violent youth remain excessive. In 1999, the estimated number of juvenile arrests for violent crimes was 103,900, composing 16% of all violent crimes, as indicated by the Violent Crime Index (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2000). Fourteen hundred juveniles were arrested for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter; 5,000 for forcible rape; 28,000 for robbery; and 69,600 for aggravated assault.

Significant attention is now rightly being paid to school violence prevention and intervention. Nonetheless, it is important to realize that children are more likely to be victims of crime when they are away from school than when they are at school. In 1999, students ages 12 through 18 were victims of approximately 186,000 serious violent crimes at school, as compared to 476,000 away from school. From July 1, 1998, to June 30, 1999, 33 children ages 5 through 19 were killed in school-associated homicides and four children were victims of school-associated suicides. These are only a fraction of the 2,407 school-aged children who were victims of homicide and the 1,854 school-aged children who committed suicide during this time period (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001).

Despite the relatively small number of school violence incidents, any violence at school is too much, and school counselors must, therefore, be armed with appropriate tools to help prevent violence in their schools. Our graduate students tell us repeatedly that this is the issue that they feel they must know more about if they are to work effectively as counselors in today's schools. When we ask our students to research and write papers on current issues of their choosing, we routinely receive a disproportionate number of papers on school and youth violence. In his foreword to the December, 2000, Special Issue of Professional School Counseling, entitled School Violence and Counselors, Daya Singh Sandhu, wrote:

      Clearly, school violence is on the rise, and
   teachers, parents, administrators, and communities
   are increasingly feeling the need to take
   action to prevent violence.... As the pressure
   to develop programs increases, schools are
   increasingly turning to school counselors for
   leadership and guidance. (p. iv)

With the shocking nature of the events that have occurred in schools throughout the country, some have wondered if the youth just snapped, acting out violently without real warning. On the contrary, it seems that adolescent killers often broadcast their plans, seeking support and reinforcement from their peers. In comparison to adult rampage killers, adolescent killers have been found to be less emotionally detached and more susceptible to peer influence (Fessenden, 2000). Other warning signs are related to youths' family and social environments. For instance, youth have been found to be at increased risk for violence if they are from families with a history of criminal violence, if they have a history of being abused, if they belong to a gang, and/or if they abuse alcohol and drugs (Moffitt, 1997; Pallone & Hennessy, 1996; Widom, 1995). School counselors, school psychologists, and other school professionals must be aware of such risks and signs of potential youth violence and need to communicate this knowledge to young people so they can contribute to protecting themselves and others.

THE WARNING SIGNS INITIATIVE

In an attempt to help youth accurately identify potential signs of violent behavior and to recognize the need to seek professional help, the American Psychological Association (APA) and Music Television (MTV), joined together in April of 1999 to launch Warning Signs, a youth anti-violence initiative (Alvarez, 1999). Warning Signs is part of APA's public education campaign, entitled Talk to Someone Who Can Help, that stresses the importance of counseling or psychological services and good mental health (Peterson & Newman, 2000). In more than 500 antiviolence forums held throughout the country, mental health professionals have led discussions with youth after they view the Warning Signs video (Sullivan, 2000). During the 30-minute video, co-produced by APA and MTV and moderated by a popular MTV personality, youth learn about real school-related incidents of violence committed by peers. They hear directly from the young perpetrators, their friends, friends of the victims, and witnesses of the violent events about what led to these acts of violence, what could have prevented these acts, and how to get help. Experts also provide information on the signs that youth display that may lead to violence.