Help-Seeking Among Early Adolescents Who Use Physical Peer Violence.

Despite accumulating research on help-seeking among violence victims, little is known about help-seeking among youth who use violence. In a racially and ethnically diverse sample of early adolescents (N = 2,676; 50.3% female; M age = 12.67), participants self-reported physical bullying, physical fighting, physical dating violence perpetration, and help-seeking intentions over the past year. T-test and one-way analysis of variance examined help-seeking by sex and race, respectively. Prevalence and comparisons of help-seeking across youth with and without any violence were examined. Youth who used any physical peer violence (n = 965) reported lower help-seeking intentions than their peers, and among violent youth, males reported higher help-seeking intentions than females. Overall, peers and caregivers were rated the most likely sources of support for adolescent personal problems. Findings underscore the need for universal violence prevention to equip youth, caregivers, and community members with help-seeking psychoeducation.