RALEIGH, N.C. — Teenagers who watched pro wrestling on TV were more likely to behave violently than other kids, researchers reported Monday, and girls seemed to be more influenced than boys.

Those findings were part of a study suggesting that teenagers who watched wrestling shows like "RAW" and "SmackDown" had a tendency toward violence, including carrying weapons and fighting on dates.

The researchers also found that students who were most likely to fight on dates after they had been drinking or using drugs were the ones who watched wrestling most often.

"It's yet more evidence that, when it comes to kids and media, learning happens," said Kimberly Thompson, a professor at Harvard University's School of Public Health. "Parents have to pay attention to what's in their kids' media diet, and what they're seeing and experiencing."

The study, based on data collected seven years ago, was published Monday in the August issue of Pediatrics. A team led by Robert H. DuRant, a professor of pediatrics, social science and health policy at Wake Forest's Baptist Medical Center, surveyed about 2,000 students in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County public high schools in the fall of 1999 and again in April 2000. Just over half the group was male.

"Is this data dated? The answer is no," DuRant said. "If you look at the Nielsen ratings (for wresting) on cable TV, over the years, they have not changed."

Questions included whether the students had recently fought with a boyfriend, girlfriend or date; whether they had been drinking or using drugs before a fight; and whether they had watched professional wrestling on television in the two weeks before each round of the survey.

It found that 63 percent of the boys and 35 percent of the girls watched wrestling during the survey periods, and 25 percent of the boys and 9 percent of the girls watched six or more times. The study found that for both sexes, a greater frequency of watching wrestling was associated with higher rates of problematic behavior.

DuRant said girls who watched wrestling six or more times over the two-week period had a 170 percent higher chance of starting a date fight than those who didn't watch wrestling. For boys, there was a 77 percent higher rate of initiating a fight among those who watched wrestling.

"It's something that people just don't expect," Thompson said. "The perception is that girls just aren't aggressive."

Both DuRant and Thompson, who was not involved in the study, said the research should serve as a warning to parents. While parents can identify wrestling broadcasts as entertainment, children are less likely to place the shows in that context.

"This teaches an adolescent that it is OK to use violence to resolve conflicts and that women deserve abusive treatment," DuRant said. "(Parents) don't put it together that it could be having a negative effect on kids who are right in the middle of putting together attitudes about norms and proper behavior."

That's an idea rejected by Gary Davis, a spokesman for World Wrestling Entertainment.

"In contrast to the findings of this flawed study, many of our fans attest that watching World Wrestling Entertainment programming has been a positive experience for them and their children," Davis said. "More than half of these parents consider watching our programs with their children as important family time."

While it's possible that teens already prone to violence happen to enjoy pro wrestling, DuRant said the consistent results over the survey's six- to seven-month span — which were adjusted for other variables such as school involvement — support the contention that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between viewing and problem behavior.

DuRant presented initial findings in 2001 at a meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, but the study published Monday is based on data that includes follow-up interviews with the surveyed teenagers.

Similar, more recent research that is currently being prepared for peer review appears to repeat the results using a slightly older, national sample group, DuRant said.

"The bottom line is that adolescents are affected by what they are exposed to," he said. "This study shows that the incidence of date fighting and other violence increases when the exposure to violence increases."