Physical Fighting among School-Attending Adolescents in Pakistan: Associated Factors and Contextual Influences

Masood Ali Shaikh, Anne Abio, Karen L. Celedonia and Michael Lowery Wilson
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Masood Ali Shaikh: Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, Turku Brain Injury Centre, Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland
Anne Abio: Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, Turku Brain Injury Centre, Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland
Karen L. Celedonia: Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, Turku Brain Injury Centre, Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland
Michael Lowery Wilson: Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Adolescent physical fighting is a problem of public health importance, with varied consequences in the form of school absenteeism, injury, and, in some cases, death. Although research on risk and protective factors exists, most has been conducted in high-income countries. Methods: The 2009 Pakistan Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) data were used. Logistic regression models were used to determine the associations. Five independent variables were investigated at the individual level (anxiety, suicide planning, truancy, physical activity, and bullying victimization) and four independent variables at the social level (presence of supportive parental figures, presence of helpful peers, extent of social network, and food insecurity). Results: Among adolescents in this study (N = 5177), 20% reported being involved in two or more physical fights, most of whom were males (79.9%). The factors associated with physical fighting were: being male (OR = 2.78); bullying victimization (OR = 3.14); truancy (OR = 1.63), loneliness (OR = 1.44); and suicidality, as evidenced by having a suicide plan (OR = 1.75). Having few close friends (0–2) as opposed to more (>3) was found to be protective against engaging in physical fighting. Conclusion: Risk factors for physical fighting among adolescents in South Asia seem to corroborate with previously-identified risk factors using samples in high-income countries, while protective factors seemed to differ. More research needs to be conducted to understand why certain factors do not have the same protective effect among South Asian adolescents. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine demographic and contextual factors associated with physical fighting among a nationally representative sample in a rapidly developing South Asian context.

Keywords: interpersonal violence; school health; epidemiology; global health; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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