Possession of weapon and school violence among adolescents and their association with history of traumatic brain injury, substance use and mental health issues

Purpose Assessment of the association between illegal possession of weapon and assault on school property among adolescents with and without a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) while assessing risk factors for these outcomes. Methods Data were derived from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey completed by students in grades 7–12 (ages 11–20). Results In this sample of 5478 adolescents, 6.1% (95% CI: 5.0, 7.4) reported carrying a weapon (e.g., gun or knife) on school property, 10.8% (95% CI: 9.5, 12.3) were engaged in a physical fight and 6.4% (95% CI: 5.4, 7.6) reported having beat up or hurt someone on purpose at school, during last year. Youth who reported carrying a weapon, who were engaged in a physical fight and those who assaulted peers on school property during last year had statistically significantly higher odds of reporting a history of TBIs, being male, in first years of high-school, scored positive for elevated psychological distress, and were current regular alcohol (weapon possession only) and cannabis users. Conclusion Previously it was thought that alcohol and drugs were the main contributors to school violence. Here we show that history of TBIs is yet another significant predictor of violence at school among adolescents. The results suggest that school vigilance and combined violence and TBI prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programs in this population are warranted.