Operational Definitions of Youth Violence in Empirical Research

Abstract

The methods used to understand, interpret, and critically present youth violence have wide ranging implications for developing policy and programs engaging our cultural context. While in the last thirty years tremendous advances have occurred in naming and researching violence, violence problems continue to be difficult to address because no one factor causes—or for that matter prevents—violence. This exploratory study uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine operational definitions of youth violence in the scientific literature. The study describes how violence in the lives of young people is defined in a sample of peer reviewed journal articles published between 1987 and 1997. Definitions play an important role in enhancing collaboration between and within disciplines by clarifying roles and responsibilities, by anticipating potential professional conflicts, and by illuminating what methodologies are under or over-represented in the literature.