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Understanding and preventing violent extremism in school settings.

Horgan, John; Lorig, Carrie; Borum, Randy; Allely, Clare S; Herrenkohl, Todd I

Authors

John Horgan

Carrie Lorig

Randy Borum

Todd I Herrenkohl



Abstract

Violent extremism (VE; i.e., terrorism) is an issue of increasing relevance in school settings. Worldwide, terrorist actors have increasingly targeted youth in schools both for victimization via attacks as well for radicalization and recruitment to their ranks. Although violent extremism as an ideologically motivated act can be distinguished from mass shootings in school settings in that most school-based mass shootings are not ideologically motivated, there is obvious overlap. The threat of violent extremism, however, also represents a distinct issue that warrants increased attention from school professionals. We present an overview of several related issues before exploring strategies to mitigate the threat of targeted violence in school settings, including opportunities for school personnel to assist in identifying, assessing, and managing threats of violent extremism. In the final section, we focus specifically on ways that school psychologists can increase awareness and help bring about individual and systemic changes to prevent violent extremism in schools.

Citation

Horgan, J., Lorig, C., Borum, R., Allely, C. S., & Herrenkohl, T. I. (in press). Understanding and preventing violent extremism in school settings. Journal of School Psychology, 106, Article 101346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101346

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 8, 2024
Online Publication Date Jul 3, 2024
Deposit Date Oct 29, 2024
Journal Journal of school psychology
Print ISSN 0022-4405
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 106
Article Number 101346
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101346
Keywords Assessment, Violence - prevention & control - psychology, Humans, Students - psychology, Prevention, Risk, Violent extremism, Terrorism - psychology - prevention & control, Adolescent, School, Schools, Crime Victims - psychology, Threat