Carrying a Weapon to School and Perceptions of Social Support in an Urban Middle School

Abstract

Perceived social support is a protective or risk factor that is consistently cited in the school violence and weapon possession literature; however, few empirical studies to date have thoroughly examined the relationships among social support variables and school violence or weapon possession. In the present study, two broad research objectives were pursued: (a) to examine perceptions of social support by students who carry weapons and (b) to assess potential predictors, including social support, of carrying a weapon to school. Data were collected for 461 students from an urban Illinois middle school. A survey packet was given to students that contained two rating scales: The Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale—Revised Edition (CASSS; Malecki, Demaray, & Elliott, 2000) and an untitled survey developed by a community agency to address health and safety issues at the school. Students who reported carrying weapons to school reported less overall or total perceived social support than did their peers who did not carry weapons. In addition, the former reported significantly less perceived social support from all sources—parents, teachers, classmates, close friends, and the school. Another finding was that in addition to other commonly cited and researched risk factors (e.g., drug use, alcohol use), individual social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends also was a significant predictor of weapon carrying in school. Study results and implications are discussed.