Family

• Among the family risk factors that may contribute to youth violence are parents or authority figures in the home who abuse drugs or are criminals; poverty; emotionally distant parents or authority figures who don't provide discipline or a consistent family structure; overly autocratic parental discipline, and violence in the home. These factors can lead to violence because they provide a negative influence and deprive a teenager of the necessary guidance and support structure to deal with life's challenges in a reasonable way.
  
  

Individual

• At the individual level, risk factors associated with teen violence include drug and alcohol abuse, aggressive behavior in early childhood, attention deficit and learning disorders, behavior control issues and low cognitive skills. At-risk youth who experience one or more of these factors tend to lack the emotional maturity and psychological development required to resist the lure of violence. Without reasoning skills, they will respond to external conflict with violence, which soon becomes a cycle they can't escape.
  
  

Community

• Teens that live in poor neighborhoods with limited economic opportunities may be at risk for violence as an expression of despair. In addition, communities without a strong sense of organization, where residents often move in and out, may adversely affect youths by robbing them of a sense of belonging, and increasing their feelings of isolation.
  
  

Peer Group

• Because many teens choose to identify themselves by the people they associate with, choosing the right peer group can make the difference between normative behavior and violent, anti-social behavior. Teenagers that exhibit delinquency will often influence their friends to follow the same course. Gang affiliation is a source of pride and loyalty for some youths, acting as a substitute for absent family support and structure, but often leading to crime and violence. Peer rejection is also a contributing factor in teen violence, because young people who feel that they don't fit in with any social group may manifest their frustration or anger in a violent manner. This is especially true for teens who are victims of bullying and teasing at school.