ERIC Number: ED506963
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Oct
Pages: 12
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. Juvenile Justice Bulletin
Finkelhor, David; Turner, Heather; Ormrod, Richard; Hamby, Sherry; Kracke, Kristen
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
This Bulletin discusses the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), the most comprehensive nationwide survey of the incidence and prevalence of children's exposure to violence to date, sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Conducted between January and May 2008, it measured the past-year and lifetime exposure to violence for children age 17 and younger across several major categories: conventional crime, child maltreatment, victimization by peers and siblings, sexual victimization, witnessing and indirect victimization (including exposure to community violence and family violence), school violence and threats, and Internet victimization. It describes how exposure to violence changes as children grow up, and the prevalence and incidence of multiple and cumulative exposures to violence. It also discusses the implications of the survey findings for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners who work with juvenile victims of violence. The findings confirm that for many children in the United States, violence is a frequent occurrence. Of the nationally representative sample of U.S. youth who participated in the study, more than 60 percent reported that they were victims of direct or indirect violence in the past year. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of those participants were victimized more than once. Nearly one-half of the children surveyed reported that they were assaulted during the previous year, and more than 10 percent of them were injured as a result. More than one-fourth of the children witnessed another person being violently attacked. More than 10 percent of the children surveyed reported that they were indirectly exposed to violence. This study's findings confirm that more needs to be done at all levels of policy and practice to reach across disciplines to identify children at risk from exposure to violence and to coordinate the delivery of services to these children. (Contains 2 exhibits and 8 endnotes.)
Descriptors: At Risk Persons, Family Violence, Incidence, Prevention, Victims of Crime, Child Welfare, Environmental Influences, Children, Adolescents, Crime, Peer Relationship, Sibling Relationship, Sexual Abuse, Family Environment, Educational Environment, Internet, Child Safety, Violence, Injuries, Child Abuse, Dating (Social)
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531. Tel: 202-307-5911; Web site: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/index.html
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners; Researchers; Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A