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Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on December 3, 2008
Journal of Public Health 2009 31(1):39-46; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdn100
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© The Author 2008, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved

Violent behavior among adolescents in post-war Lebanon: the role of personal factors and correlation with other problem behaviors



Tarek Sibai, Orthopedic Surgery Intern1

Rania A. Tohme, Research Associate2

Hind A. Beydoun, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology3

Nabil Kanaan, Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine4

Abla Mehio Sibai, Associate Professor of Epidemiology2
1 Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA
2 Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
3 Graduate Program in Public Health, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA
4 Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Address correspondence to Abla Mehio-Sibai, E-mail: ansibai{at}aub.edu.lb


  Abstract

Background Adolescent violence is a significant public health problem. The primary objective of this study is to assess the prevalence and correlates of violent behavior among adolescent students in Lebanon.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of 827 secondary students enrolled in public and private schools in Beirut. Using a series of multiple logistic regression techniques, socio-demographic variables which significantly associated with violent behavior were included as potential confounders in building the models for risk behavior.

Results Nearly 42 and 17% of adolescents reported being involved in physical fights and weapon carrying, respectively. Boys were significantly more likely to use violence than girls. Whereas associations with physical fights were stronger for socio-economic variables and perceived rank in class, weapon carrying was significantly associated with problem behaviors, such as unintentional injury, substance abuse and sexual activity, with effect measures being stronger than those estimated for physical fighting.

Conclusion Compared with other countries, the rates of violent behavior in Lebanon are relatively high. The results from this study are discussed in light of the political ecology of Lebanon which may contribute to a culture that perpetrates violent behavior and may have influenced the clustering pattern of risk behaviors.

Keywords: Lebanon, physical fight, risk behaviors, violence, war, weapon carrying, youth


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