The impact of violence on at-risk youth in Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands

Concerns over youth violence and victimization are widespread, but it is rare that national trends can be compared with identical methods. This paper provides a cross-national examination of internalized, externalized, and help-seeking responses to weapon-related victimization among 1,398 at-risk male and female youth between the ages of 14 and 17 in Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, and Amsterdam. Analyses were conducted of seven potential responses to weapon-related victimization. Striking similarities in trends were observed: becoming more aggressive, becoming more afraid or cautious, starting to carry a weapon, and increasing feelings of depression were predominant responses in each city. However, clear patterns emerged that showed fewer Amsterdam youth reported these reactions—while more youth in Toronto were affected. Logistic regression revealed a strong impact of site and previous weapon-related violence on youths’ responses to violence. We conclude with a discussion of challenges that emerged in the process of conducting a cross-national project and analyzing youth victimization in three countries.