14 DAY TRIAL // A new study carried out by a Michigan State University assistant professor of social work, examines the risk factors of a mass shooting, because it seems that young killers are much more complex than just some 'crazy kids'.
This new research says that the triggering factors go from bullying to parental neglect, and ineffective mental health services.
Hyunkag Cho, the study co-author from Michigan State University, said that many of the risk factors are very frequent in the US mass shootings, and they include access to guns, media exposure to gun violence and the scientific fact that men, more than women, perceive violence as a legit answer to conflicts.
He added that most serial killers are male, and stressed that more attention should be given to prevention efforts.
The professor recommends that parents, teachers and school officials should be better informed about the early signs of distorted gender images and misconceptions about mental health needs.
Parent education programs that enhance pro-social parenting practices, should be created, as well as a systematic reporting system for bullying in school and a strengthening of multicultural curricula in the classroom.
According to Cho, this can foster a sense of school connectedness among minority students and decrease their risks of becoming victimized in school.
Of course, there are people who are predisposed to violence but the goal here should be to reduce the factors that can trigger this violence (like peer victimization).
Cho's study analyzed the risk factors of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, by 23-year-old student Seung-Hui Cho (unrelated to the Michigan State professor) that left 33 people, including the gunman, dead.
According to this study, the Virginia Tech gunman had several problems, part of a much more complicated framework of social systems, family, school, friends, culture and community services included.
This is actually the first study to explore the potential risk factors faced by immigrants and minorities.
Seung-Hui Cho was allegedly mocked for his poor English skills and also faced cultural barriers to mental health services.
The professor said that “despite the numerous explanations by the media, politicians, organizations and researchers about the potential cause of the school shootings, we are not united in our understanding of the risk factors, particularly those relevant to racial minorities and immigrants.”
This research comes after the more recent shooting, January 8, in Tucson, Arizona, that left 6 dead and 13 wounded, US Republican Gabrielle Giffords included.
In this case, the shooter, Jared Loughner, a 22-year-old college dropout from Arizona, has been charged with first-degree murder.
Hyunkag Cho explained that every single one of us can play a role in helping immigrant youth and families deal with these problems.
“Every person has their own responsibility to do whatever they can to prevent or reduce this kind of problem,” he said.
“As they say, it takes an entire village to raise a child.”
This new study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Loss and Trauma.