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In the Iraq and Afghanistan war context, studies have found that military-connected youth-youth with parents and/or siblings serving in the military-have higher rates of school victimization than their nonmilitary-connected peers. A positive school climate-where students perceive high levels of school connectedness, caring relationships and high expectations from adults, and meaningful participation-is associated with lower rates of victimization in secondary public schools. Based on a survey of 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students (N = 14,493) enrolled in 6 military-connected school districts (districts that have a significant proportion of military-connected students), this study explores victimization rates and the role of school climate, deployment, and school transitions in the victimization of military-connected students and their civilian peers. The findings indicate that deployment and school transitions were significant predictors of physical violence and nonphysical victimization. In addition, multiple school climate factors were significantly associated with physical violence and nonphysical victimization. The authors conclude with a discussion of future directions for research on school climate, victimization, and military-connected youth.
Keywords: military-connected youth; school climate; peer victimization; schools
Almost 1.4 million school-age youth have a parent or both parents who is on active duty in the military or in the National Guard or Reserve. The vast majority of military-connected youth attend public schools in civilian communities, whereas only about 86,000 military-connected youth attend schools operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The DoDEA also reports that an additional 625,000 children of National Guard members and 705,000 children of Reserve members also attend public schools operated by civilian educational agencies. Military-connected youth are enrolled in every public school district in the United States. More than 200 public school districts are categorized by the Department of Education as military-connected because they serve a significant number of military-connected students (more than 400 militaryconnected students or 3% of total student enrollment; for more information, see http:// www.militarychild.org).
Policymakers and researchers have identified military-connected students as a population with significant challenges in civilian school environments (Benbenishty & Astor, 2013; Esqueda, Astor, & De Pedro, 2012; Lester & Flake, 2013). Many civilian schools may not be aware that they have military-connected students. Also, they may not provide services and develop a school climate that supports students experiencing military life challenges (De Pedro et...