As practitioners have expanded their understanding of the types of events that constitute trauma exposure, the epidemiological database on prevalence suggests that childhood exposure to violence may best be framed as a public health crisis. There seems to be little recognition from policymakers and legislators, however, that violence may be the…

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…

This study assessed the relationships among hypnotizability, clinical dissociation and traumatic antecedents in 54 sexually abused girls, ages 6 to 15 years, and 51 matched controls. There were no significant differences in hypnotizability between abuse and control subjects. However, in the abuse group, highly hypnotizable subjects were…

This study of 1,001 adult homosexual and bisexual men found that 37% reported they had been encouraged or forced to have sexual contact with an older or more powerful partner before age 19. Median age at first contact was 10. Ninety-three percent of participants reporting early sexual contact were classified as sexually abused. (Author/DB)

Analysis of data on socioeconomic and demographic well-being in 77 Chicago (Illinois) community areas found a strong relationship between socioeconomic and demographic factors and child maltreatment rates. Pairing of socioeconomically similar areas with contrasting patterns of child maltreatment revealed greater social disorganization in high-risk…

Discussion of the relationship between child maltreatment and child disability identifies three categories: (1) maltreatment causes many disabilities; (2) children with disabilities are more vulnerable to maltreatment; and (3) other primary causal factors increase risk for both violence and disability. Maltreatment is also seen as impeding student…

This review synthesizes findings of 16 cross-sectional surveys on the prevalence of child abuse (primarily sexual abuse) among nonclinical, North American samples. An incidence of approximately 22.3% for women and 8.5% for men was found over three decades though variations in study response rates and differences in child abuse operational…

A survey of undergraduates (N=427) in Queensland (Australia) found child sexual abuse prevalence rates of 19% for males and 45% for females, with incestuous abuse reported by 9% of males and 19% of females. Other findings addressed age at onset of abuse, gender, types of unwanted sexual experiences, and media exposure. (DB)

Adults (n=801) were questioned about punishment they received as children and their own discipline practices. Analysis revealed that verbal and physical discipline were commonly used together. Respondents who were spanked and yelled at frequently as children were more prone to frequently spank and yell at their own children. (Author/DB)

Questionnaires completed by 824 college students concerning sexual abuse indicated that women had stronger pro-social beliefs, attitudes, and emotional reactions concerning abuse than did men. Although equal numbers of males and females had been approached by potential perpetrators, only 6% of men but 13% of women reported being sexually abused as…

Analysis of questionnaire responses of 280 women found that 28.2% were objectively defined as abused as children though only 11.4% subjectively defined themselves as abused. Depression was highest (83%) among those who defined themselves as abused, intermediate (56%) among those only objectively defined as abused, and least (35%) among those not…

Analysis of 656 responses of a gender-stratified random sample of U.S. mental health clinicians found that 13% of the men and 20% of the women reported a personal history of childhood sexual abuse; 7.3% of the men and 6.9% of the women reported a history of childhood physical abuse. (Author/DB)

A search of the literature to differentiate among definitions of physical discipline, corporal punishment, and physical child abuse identified five studies which revealed that abusive parents spanked their children more often than did nonabusive parents. Aggregated data from nonabusive parents suggested a "normal range" of daily spanking…

This retrospective cohort study assessed the relationship of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to other categories of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as childhood abuse, neglect, and parental separation/divorce. Adults reporting CSA experienced a 1.6- to 3.4-fold greater likelihood of experience each category of ACE. The ACE score was also…

This review of child homicide research identifies three methodological issues: (1) the classification of child deaths as homicides is unreliable; (2) child homicides may not represent the endpoint of a continuum of violence from inadequate parenting to death; and (3) child homicides are not frequent enough to measure the impact of child welfare…