New study on Teens and Violence

Here's another big surprise:

Watching Pro Wrestling on TV May Spur Violence Among Teens

"Both among male and female students, the frequency with which they watched wrestling was associated with a number of indicators of violence and weapon-carrying," said lead author Robert H. DuRant, a professor of pediatrics and social science and health policy at Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Boys who watched wrestling were more likely to start fights with their dates, be a date-fight victim, and carry a gun or other weapon. They also said they drank alcohol or used drugs during their last fight, the researchers found.

For girls, watching wrestling led to higher rates of starting a fight with a date, being a victim of a date fight, carrying a gun at school, fighting, fighting at school, and being injured in a fight. And like boys, these girls said they drank or used drugs during a fight, the study found.

DuRant admits that watching wrestling by itself is not the sole cause of violent behavior among teens. "It is one causal factor in the overall socialization of these kids. It's another media source that has a negative effect," he said. "Watching wrestling is just another nail in the coffin."



This part of the study actually was surprising:

"Of particular concern was that the frequency of watching wrestling was associated with being both the perpetrator and victim of date fighting," DuRant said. "This association was stronger among female adolescents than among male adolescents," he added.


I was also surprised by the number of students surveyed who regularly watched pro wrestling:

In the study, DuRant's team asked 2,228 North Carolina high school students how many times they had watched wrestling on TV in the past two weeks. Among boys, 63 percent said they'd watched wrestling, and 24.6 percent had watched it six or more times during that period. Among girls, 35.1 percent said they had watched wrestling, and 9.1 percent had done so six or more times during the two-week period.



This is the funny part:

Gary Davis, vice president of corporate communications at World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., called the study a rehash of an earlier report by the same researchers.

"In contrast to the findings of this flawed study, many of our fans attest that watching World Wrestling Entertainment programming has been a positive experience for them and their children," Davis added. "Many teens viewing our programs credit them with furthering their self-esteem and confidence. Parents point to using WWE programs as incentives for academic achievement. An overwhelming majority of the parents who watch our programming do so with their children. More than half of these parents consider watching our programs with their children as important family time. As always, WWE encourages parents to be actively involved with their children in what they view on television and on the Internet."

I don't know how he said that with a straight face. Yeah, it's "family time."



For more on teens and violence, see Parents in the Dark and More on Fight Clubs and Aggression.



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Related Tags: teen violence, dating violencee, pro wrestling, trailer trash