Adapting to the Disconnection: An Examination of School Alienation and Adolescent Gun Carrying

OBJECTIVE: As school shootings and youth gun violence continue to rise in the United States, it is imperative to identify risk factors linked to gun carrying among adolescents. This study examines the relationship between perceived school alienation and the likelihood of adolescents carrying a gun to school. Specifically, it tests whether school alienation increases adolescent inclination to carry a gun to school. METHODS: This study used an all-male sample from waves I (1994-1995) and II (1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) with a final analytic sample size of (N = 6577). A logistic regression model was estimated to assess the relationship between school alienation and gun carrying, controlling for statistically relevant variables such as gang membership. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship between school alienation and gun carrying among adolescent males. More specifically, as school alienation increased, adolescents' odds of carrying a gun to school also increased by 9%. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH, POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Readily accessible mental health resources should be implemented within schools for students that may show early signs of alienation, in attempts to lower the prevalence of gun carrying within schools. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that school alienation is attributed to an increased inclination to subsequently carry a gun to school among adolescent males.