A Secondary Spatial Analysis of Gun Violence near Boston Schools: a Public Health Approach

Abstract

School neighborhood violence continues to be a major public health problem among urban students. A large body of research addresses violence at school; however, fewer studies have explored concentrations of violence in areas proximal to schools. This study aimed to quantify the concentration of shootings near schools to elucidate the place-based dynamics that may be focal points for violence prevention. Geocoded databases of shooting and school locations were used to examine locational patterns of firearm shootings and elementary, middle, and high schools in Boston, Massachusetts. Analyses utilized spatial statistics for point pattern data including distance matrix and K function methodology to quantify the degree of spatial dependence of shootings around schools. Results suggested that between 2012 and 2015, there were 678 shooting incidents in Boston; the average density was 5.1 per square kilometer. The nearest neighbor index (NNI = 0.335 km, p < .001, O = 0.95 km, E = 0.28 km) and G function analysis revealed a clustered pattern of gun shooting incidents indicative of a spatially non-random process. The mean and median distance from any school to the nearest shooting location was 0.35 and 0.33 km, respectively. A majority (56%, 74/133) of schools in Boston had at least one shooting incident within 400 m, a distance that would take about 5 min to walk if traveling by foot. The bivariate K function indicated that a significantly greater number of shootings were clustered within short distances from schools than would be expected under a null hypothesis of no spatial dependence. Implications for students attending schools in racially homogenous neighborhoods across all income levels are discussed.

Locations of Mass Shootings Relative to Schools and Places Frequented by Children

“…For younger children (2-9 years), simply hearing gunshots in a public space was predictive of elevated stress; for older children (10-17 years), direct witnessing of gun violence was associated with elevated stress . In a review of literature, Barboza noted that youths exposed to gun violence report numerous psychological challenges, including anger, disassociation, anxiety, and depression.…”

Gun Violence Exposure and Posttraumatic Symptoms Among Children and Youth

“…Although Boston has relatively low homicide rates compared to other metropolitan areas (U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, & Criminal Justice Information Services Division, 2017), research has demonstrated that most fatal and nonfatal shooting incidents in Boston occur in "hot spot" locations in disadvantaged urban areas (Braga, Papachristos, & Hureau, 2010), including some of the data collection locations used in this study. Moreover, one recent study found that more than half of public schools in Boston had at least one shooting incident between 2012 and 2015 within 400 meters of the school (Barboza, 2018b), suggesting the potential for higher exposure among youth.…”

Space Analysis of School Violence in the Educational Setting of Peru, 2019

“…The GIS analyzes and connects numerous types of data to a single geographic place. To effectively devote resources to prevention efforts, countries like the United States and Brazil have employed this technique to geographically analyze data and identify high-risk locations for school violence [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. However, none of these studies analyzed the data using a more comprehensive approach.…”