Hazing study suggests pervasive problem in U.S. high schools

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Students heading back to high school this week could be headed for serious trouble involving hazing, according to an Alfred University study released Monday.

"We found that every high school student who joins any group -- from gangs to church groups, from the football team to the band -- is at risk of being hazed," said Dr. Nadine C. Hoover, the survey's principal investigator.

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Researchers questioned 1,541 high school juniors and seniors about hazing, which they defined as "any humiliating or dangerous activity expected of you to join a group, regardless of your willingness to participate." Nearly half -- 48 percent -- of the 1390 students who said they belong to organized groups reported being subjected to hazing activities.

"The numbers are alarming," said Hoover.

The most hazing was reported in conjunction with sports teams, gangs, musical groups and church groups.

Although many students -- and even some adults -- consider hazing to be harmless fun, the researchers found that many hazing activities go far beyond practical jokes.

Students reported being yelled or cursed at, being told to skip school or not associate with certain people, and being made to eat disgusting things. The researchers categorized these activities as "humiliating behaviors." Forty-eight percent of boys and 39 percent of girls said they had been hazed in this way.

Students also reported being forced to drink alcohol or smoke or use illegal drugs. The researchers categorized these activities as "substance abuse hazing." Twenty-four percent of boys and 18 percent of girls reported this type of hazing.

Other students said they had been forced to vandalize property, steal or cheat, or engage in sexual acts. These activities were classified as "dangerous hazing." Again, boys were more likely to be involved in these activities: 27 percent reported them, compared to 17 percent of girls.

"Hazing is not simply horseplay or rough good humor," said Alfred University President Charles M. Edmondson. "It often takes a form that is dangerous as well as emotional and damaging."

The survey indicated that 71 percent of students subjected to hazing reported negative consequences -- getting into fights with other students or parents, difficulty eating, sleeping or concentrating, or feeling angry.

Those findings are cause for concern, said Dr. Norman Pollard, director of Alfred University's Counseling and Student Development Center.

"When we look at recent incidents of violence in high schools such as those at Columbine, Paducah and Springfield, we see the dire consequences of teens feeling excluded, rejected and humiliated."

The problem is also widespread, researchers found.

"Male and female students all reported that they were hazed for high school groups. Students in urban, suburban and rural settings in every region of the United States reported that they have been hazed whether or not there was an anti-hazing law in the state," said Hoover, the lead researcher.

Even groups considered "safe" -- like church organizations and scholastic groups -- were not immune. Twenty-four percent of students in church groups said they had been hazed.

Last year, Hoover led another study that looked at the problem of hazing among college students. The high school survey was prompted by those findings, which indicated hazing began in high school.

The researchers said they were alarmed by the role of adults hazing. Students were more likely to be hazed if they knew an adult who had been hazed, the survey found. That could indicate that adults condone hazing, or that students believe they have no one to turn to when they are hazed.

The Alfred University officials who presented the survey acknowledged that hazing is a type of initiation rite, and that such rites are important to teen and young adult development. But limits must be set.

"Individuals need rites of passage," Hoover said. "How you do them is what's at issue. You can produce that kind of bonding (through hazing rituals) but you do it at a great expense."

CNN Producer Brad Wright contributed to this report.

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Alfred University

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