Co-victimization has been described as the experience of witnessing violent assault on another person. Urban African-American adolescents are at greater risk for co-victimization than adolescents who live in suburban or rural settings. Some research indicates that African-American adolescents, particularly males, are more likely to die or to require hospitalization as the result of gunshot or knife wounds than any other cause. That same research suggests that violence threatens the survival of the African-American adolescent. The violence includes self-inflicted activities such as the use of alcohol, other drugs and cigarettes, and violence inflicted by peers in schools and on the streets. The article discusses the impact of co-victimization on African-American adolescents and the social cognitive (also referred to as social learning) theory. References