Levels of psychopathology, object relations, and social behavioral skills in adolescents carrying weapons to schoo

This study investigated the psychopathology, object relations, and social behavioral skills of students discovered carrying weapons in school.;The sample consisted of 60 male adolescents attending an urban public school system. The offenders group consisted of 30 students found carrying a weapon. A comparison group included 30 students who had not been discovered with a weapon. Both groups were assessed with three measures: the Revised Behavior Problem Scale (RBPC), the Mutuality of Autonomy Scale (MOAS), and the Adolescent Problem Inventory (API).;Three null hypotheses were tested. A significant difference was found on the Socialized Aggression subscale of the RBPC, with the offenders group reporting behaviors at a higher level. The remaining two null hypotheses were retained.;It was concluded that those discovered carrying weapons into schools represent a heterogeneous group that are not suffering from a handicapping condition, but are individuals engaging in an antisocial behavior. Such adolescents manifest no more internalized affective problems or social-behavioral skills than do other nonhandicapped groups. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.