[Violence in schools: Prospective study conducted in an emergency reception center for victims of aggression].

INTRODUCTION: Although violence in schools is quite well conveyed in the media, the French literature data remain patchy, and the figures available arise mainly from surveys of victimization. This study had two main purposes: to add to the national epidemiological data on this phenomenon and to emphasize the actions that can be undertaken by the practitioner facing such events.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a prospective descriptive study that was conducted from September 1st, 2014, to June 30, 2015, in a single center, the CAUVA, an emergency center within the Bordeaux University Hospital for victims of assault. Included in the study was any person alleging acts of violence on the way to school, in the neighborhood, or within the school itself, and who was examined at the CAUVA following a judicial requisition. An anonymized questionnaire was distributed during the consultation.

RESULTS: We collected 41 questionnaires over a 10-month period with 70.7% males (n=29) and 29.3% females (n=12), with a mean age of 14 years and 5 months (range, 7-49 years). The subjects included two teachers and 39 students. The time between the event and the forensic examination at CAUVA was mostly less than or equal to 7 days (n=18), between 7 and 15 days (n=14), 15 and 30 days (n=6), and more than 30 days (n=3). Twenty-six attacks (63%) took place inside the school - 21 middle schools - eight near the school, and seven between the student's home and the school. Inside the school, the events took place during a break (n=15), in the classroom (n=9), and during cultural outings (n=2). For one student out of two (n=25), the event reported was the first with acts of physical (n=37), psychological (n=20), or sexual violence (n=2). In 14.6% (n=6) of the cases, the assailant was a teacher and in almost 83% (n=34) of the cases it was another student, either from the same class (n=19) or another class (n=14), or a former student (n=1).

CONCLUSION: This study brings out trends that can assist the practitioner during consultations related to violence. Screening, the description of the physical and psychological impact, and dispatching to a medical-legal unit for complex situations or sexual assaults contribute to making the general practitioner, the emergency physician, the pediatrician, and the school doctor key players in the treatment and management of violence.