Global General
Australian boys more violent than American
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-27 17:12
CANBERRA: Australian boys are more violent than American boys, new research revealed on Friday.
A joint study conducted by Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia and the University of Washington in America asked almost 4,000 students aged 12 to 16 in Victoria and Washington state about violent behaviour.
They were asked if in the previous year they had either attacked someone with the idea of seriously hurting them or beaten someone so badly that they required medical treatment.
In the interview, 12.6 percent of Victorian boys admitted to such behaviour, compared with 10 percent of Washington boys.
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And students who were suspended from school or arrested were more than one-and-a-half times more likely to engage in violence 12 months later.
Lead researcher Sheryl Hemphill said the higher rate of violence among Australian boys was unexpected and needed further investigation.
"It does call for us to have a careful think about how we handle problematic behaviour in schools," she said.
Hemphill suggested schools should look for alternatives to suspension or at least ensure suspended students are supervised, given work to do and supported during reintegration back into classes.
"It's really important for schools to try and understand what was behind the behaviour. It may be that the young person is having learning difficulties or there could be problems at home," she said.
Hemphill added anti-bullying programs being used in the United States could be of benefit in Australia.
