Municipal-Level Variations in Violence Perpetration among Norwegian Adolescents and its Association with Health-Risk Behaviours, Family Predictors, and Municipal Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Study

Abstract

Abstract Background While studies have documented the prevalence and risk factors for adolescent violence, little is known about local differences and the combined impact of socioecological correlates on the perpetration of violence. This study examined municipal-level variation in violence perpetration among Norwegian adolescents. Drawn from the socio-ecological model, it investigated the variation in individual health-risk behaviours, family predictors and municipal characteristics associated with violence perpetration. Methods The study was based on data from Norway’s nationwide Ungdata surveys. It included data from students in lower secondary schools from surveys conducted in the years 2014 to 2016, in total containing responses from 119,346 students nested within 309 municipalities. A multilevel (two-level) logistic regression was used to estimate between-municipal differences in the perpetration of violence and its associated socio-ecological correlates. Results The results showed a small variation (1.58%) in violence perpetration between municipalities. Individual- and family-level predictors did not explain this difference. The addition of municipal-level factors marginally reduced the municipal-level variance, indicating that the factors, to a slight extent, explained the small variation in violence perpetration among Norwegian municipalities. All individual and family factors were associated with violence perpetration. A high proportion of higher education accomplishment was the only municipal factor for violence perpetration. Conclusion The findings may be important for policymakers seeking to reduce acts of violence, as they call for a greater focus on individual- and family-level factors than municipal characteristics.