Other Violence Research Projects

North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System

There are approximately 1,700 deaths from violence in North Carolina each year, almost two-thirds of which are suicides. The North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System (NC-VDRS) is a surveillance system that organizes information on intentional injury from all causes. Information about the circumstances surrounding these deaths are collected from death certificates, medical examiner records and over 250 law enforcement agencies that provide incident and investigation reports. This represents an expanded source of information compared to previous standards and makes it possible to more clearly understand who is involved in violence that results in fatalities, the relationships between the victims and the suspects, and the circumstances and weapons/methods that lead to these events. It takes approximately two years for data to be readied for analysis. For example, 2005 NC-VDRS data were complete in February of 2007. The NC-VDRS encourages graduate students and other researchers to apply to use the data for their own public health-related research. There are three research projects underway: pregnancy-associated deaths; mental health factors and method of suicide; and the circumstances of homicides that results in higher levels of deaths in African American males.

Key Personnel:

Stephen W. Marshall, PhD (PI); Sandra L. Martin, PhD; Catherine (Kay) Sanford, MSPH; Anna Waller, ScD; Tamera Coyne-Beasley, MD, MPH; Philip Cook, PhD; Zewde Demissie

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch;
Duke University

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Contact:

Stephen W. Marshall, PhD

Steve_marshall.unc.edu

Acculturation and Health Protection in Latina Youth (Career Development)

Minority adolescents who are coping with acculturation stressors are at particularly high risk for engaging in negative health behaviors. This longitudinal, dual-site study used quantitative and qualitative assessments to examine how acculturation stressors and coping strategies, family dynamics, social networks, and cognitive processes are related to aggression, suicidal ideation, and alcohol, tobacco, and substance use in U.S.-born and foreign-born adolescents. Over the course of three years, investigators conducted four quantitative assessments with 230 Latino adolescents and their parents in North Carolina and 150 Latino adolescents and their parents in Arizona. The data were used to inform the development of a protocol for a larger project to study the relationships among cultural risk and protective factors and health disparities in minority adolescents. This proposal is written in concert with the goals set forth in Healthy People 2010 to reduce health disparities by mapping modifiable risk factors that lead Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian adolescents to engage in negative health behaviors.

Key Personnel:

Paul Smokowski, PhD (PI); Mark Fraser, PhD; Carol W. Runyan, MPH, PhD; Guadalupe Ayala, PhD; Flavio Marsiglia, PhD

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

Arizona State University

Funding:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (K award)

Contact:

Paul Smokowski, PhD

smokowski@email.unc.edu

Acculturation and the Risk of Violence Among Hispanic Youth (Student Project)

Violence is a leading cause of mortality among Hispanic youth, but little research has been conducted to examine the risk and protective factors specific to this population. This research will advance our understanding of the role of acculturation in violence among Hispanic youth. The goals of this study are to: 1) determine the association between the acculturation level of Hispanic youth in the United States and their risk for physical assault, and suicidal behavior; and 2) determine the association between acculturation level and known risk factors and protective factors for physical assault and suicidal behavior, such as drug and alcohol use, access to firearms, social support, and community support. The investigators will use The National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative, prospective study of American adolescents in grades 7 through 12, to examine violence, measured by whether an individual was involved in a serious physical fight, seriously thought about committing suicide, or attempted suicide. For the ADD Health survey, acculturation is measured by proportion of life in the United States, language spoken at home, language of the survey, and generational status.

Key Personnel:

Theresa Cruz, MPH; Stephen Marshall, PhD (Advisor)

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

None

Funding:

National Institutes of Health Dissertation Award

Contact:

Theresa Cruz, MPH

tcruz@unc.edu