Objective: To determine characteristics of adolescents which may discriminate between those who participate in physical fights and are treated for injuries and those who have fought without injury.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Data are from the 10,645 respondents in the 1992 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and represent a nationwide sample of adolescents.

Participants: Two separate logistic regression analyses were completed. The first analysis included 6711 subjects and used adolescent participation in physical fights without injury as the dependent variable. 6965 subjects were included in the second logistic regression and had a dependent variable of participation in physical fights in which the adolescent sustained an injury. Independent variables were gender, racial background, poverty status, binge drinking, weapon carrying, and sexual behavior.

Measurements/Main Findings: Odds-ratios resulting from both regressions were compared and revealed that the strongest predictor of both fighting behavior and injury sustained from fights was weapon carrying. Subjects who were male, Black, carried weapons, or ever had sexual intercourse were more likely to have participated in fights (odds-ratios of 1.31, 1.28, 1.62, and 1.17, respectively) or have been injured from fights (odds-ratios of 1.28, 1.71, 1.76, and 1.35, respectively) than subjects who were female, White, did not carry weapons, or never had sexual intercourse (p<.001). Lack of binge drinking episodes was associated with significantly less fighting and injuries from fights than those who had episodes of binge drinking.

Conclusions: In this national sample of adolescents, the strongest predictors of both fighting and being injured as a result of fighting were weapon carrying, male gender, Black racial background, and sexual behavior. Further, most variables (except gender) were stronger predictors of being injured from fights when compared to participating in fights without injury. Further research is recommended to determine if additional factors may better discriminate between adolescents who participate in physical fights and those who are injured as a result of fights. Funded by Maternal Child Health Bureau.