Gender, strain, and school violence: Theoretical perspectives on girls’ involvement in K-12 school shootings

Gun violence in K-12 schools poses a serious public safety issue across the United States. Research and media attention to school gun violence often focus on male perpetrators; as a result, less is known about female school shooters in general and how media portrayals of these shooters influence public perceptions and contribute to the gendered understanding of school violence, in particular. To bridge these gaps, this exploratory study applies concepts from two related strain-based theoretical frameworks to understand the social and emotional contexts that lead girls to involvement in school shootings. Using a multiple case study research design, this study examines a sample of female school shooting offenders ( n = 6) using open-source data drawn from The American School Shooting Study. The findings highlight the types and duration of strain that girls experienced prior to committing a school shooting as well as provide insights into the underlying connections between gender, strain, and school violence. The paper concludes with a discussion of the practical implications of the findings and avenues for future research.