Recieved: 12/23/2018
Accepted: 01/17/2019
Published: 01/30/2019
p.: 62-76
DOI: 10.11621/npj.2018.0406
Keywords: school shootings; school violence; violence against peers; massacre; security; education
Available online: 30.01.2019
Davydov Denis G., Khlomov Kirill D.. Massacres in educational institutions: mechanisms, causes, prevention. // National Psychological Journal 2018. 4. p.62-76. doi: 10.11621/npj.2018.0406
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CopyIntroduction. The massacres in schools and colleges committed by their students are initially associated with the United States, but in recent decades the phenomenon has spread to other countries including Russia. Such tragedies affecting children and adolescents are of particular interest to politicians, general public and professionals.
The Objective of this research is to summarize the foreign literature accounts of the phenomenon of mass school murders, the structure of this phenomenon, the stages of its development and factors that cause it.
Procedure. Research methodology included search and generalization of conclusions from scientific and applied publications on the issue. The search was carried out using bibliographic systems and scientific networks Web of Knowledge, Scopus, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, Academia.edu, Mendeley. He author selected 55 scientific publications on specific cases and meta-analysis of data aimed at addressing socio-psychological factors of school shootings and prevention.
Findings. The main methodological approaches to the analysis of school shootings are described, the theories offering a systematic understanding of this phenomenon are presented, the stages of both social and personal predictors of school shootings are defined.
Conclusion. The analysis of the literature allows interpreting massacres in schools as an independent phenomenon, to reconstruct the events, to determine the main mechanisms and development stages, to offer effective ways to detect and prevent threats.
Table 1. Attacks of school students on classmates and employees of educational organizations of Russia using firearms throughout 2014–2018.
Event Date |
Accident Site |
Firearms, number of attackers and injured people |
Outcome for attacker |
03.02.2014 |
School 263, Moscow, Russia |
Small-bore rifle, 1 attacker, 2 dead adults (teacher and school guard), 1 injured adult (police officer) |
Detained, sent for compulsory treatment by court order |
10.05.2018 |
Lunin Branch of the Novosibirsk College of Transport Technologies, Barabinsk, Russia |
Smoothbore hunting rifle, 3 injured college students |
Suicide |
17.10.2018 |
Polytechnic College, Kerch, Russia |
Firearms, explosive devices, 1 attacker, 5 college workers and 16 college students including the attacker killed, 67 people injured |
Suicide |
Table 2. Attacks of school students on classmates and employees of educational organizations of Russia using cold steel and other types of weapon throughout 2014–2018.
Event Date |
Accident Site |
Firearms, number of attackers and injured people |
Outcome for attacker |
14.04.2014 |
School 39, St.-Petersburg, Russia |
1 attacker, 1 injured adult (teacher) |
Detained, sent for compulsory treatment |
15.12.2014 |
School 4, Bryansk, Russia |
Air gun, 1 injured student |
Detained |
17.03.2016 |
College of Hospitality and Management 23, Moscow, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 injured |
Detained |
18.03.2016 |
School 3, Nakhodka, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 killed (student) |
Suicide |
1.11.2017 |
Polytechnical College 42 Moscow, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 killed adult (teacher) |
Suicide |
05.09.2017 |
School 1, Ivanteevka, Russia |
Air gun, топор, 1 attacker, 3 injured (students) и 1 injured adult (teacher) |
Detained |
8.12.2017 |
School 4, Irkutsk, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 injured student |
Detained |
25.10.2017 |
School 85, Volgograd, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 injured student |
Detained |
11.02.2017 |
School 1, Nizhnekamsk, Russia |
Air gun, 1 student killed |
Detained |
17.11.2017 |
School 48, Nizhniy Novgorod |
1 attacker, knife, 1 injured student |
Detained |
28.11.2017 |
School 1, Vysokovsk, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 injured |
Detained |
12.05.2017 |
School 2, Usinsk, Komi Republic, Russia |
Air gun, 1 injured student |
Detained |
15.01.2018 |
School 127, Perm, Russia |
2 attackers, knives, 9 injured students, 1 injured teacher |
Detained |
17.01.2018 |
School in Smolnoe village, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 пострадавший ученик |
Detained |
19.01.2018 |
School in Sosnovyy Bor Town, Russia |
Axe, bottle bomb, 1 attacker, 6 injured students, 1 injured teacher |
Detained |
18.04.2018 |
School 1, Sterlitamak, Bashkorkostan, Russia |
1 attacker, knife, 1 injured (student) |
Detained |
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