Trends in Children’s Exposure to Violence, 2003 to 2011

Abstract

Victimization surveys with general population samples confirm patterns seen in police data and adult surveys. Crime and violence have been declining in the child and youth population as well.

Sexual orientation trends and disparities in school bullying and violence-related experiences, 1999–2013.

“…Perhaps as a result, there are signs that some indicators of school victimization and other violence may be decreasing in the general population of school-age youth. Results from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that weapon-carrying and fighting at school declined from 1991 to 2003and from 1999(Centers for Disease Control, 2005. Perlus and colleagues, analyzing waves of a national survey of 6 th through 10 th grade students, found that physical fighting and in-school bullying victimization both declined significantly from 1998 to 2010, though when genders were analyzed separately, results for being bullied were significant only for boys (Perlus, BrooksRussell, Wang & Iannotti, 2014).…”

Improving Outcomes for Children Exposed to Violence: Safe Start Promising Approaches

“…Although overall child maltreatment rates fell by 26 percent over the nine-year period, this was largely driven by a significant decline in emotional abuse, with physical abuse rates remaining unchanged. Child witnessing or indirect victimization decreased by 28 percent from 2003 to 2011 (Finkelhor, Shattuck, et al, 2014). The decline in most forms of childhood victimization mirrored a decline in violent crime victimization nationally.…”

“…Although rates of children's exposure to violence have been declining, in 2011, 58 percent of children in a nationally representative sample had been exposed to violence in the past year, with 48 percent exposed to multiple types of violence (Finkelhor, Shattuck, et al, 2014;Finkelhor, Turner, et al, 2015). The immediate negative consequences of children's exposure to violence include depression, anxiety, behavior problems, and trauma symptoms, and many of these issues persist into adulthood.…”

“…Recent analysis of trends in children's exposure to violence indicates that rates of different types of childhood victimization have declined significantly in recent years. Three national surveys (conducted in 2003, 2008, and 2011) used versions of the same child violence exposure measure (Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire) to gather data on childhood victimization across different types of violence exposure (Finkelhor, Shattuck, et al, 2014). Across this period, rates of physical assault fell 33 percent and sexual victimization decreased by 27 percent.…”

Making Friends in Violent Neighborhoods: Strategies among Elementary School Children

“…In fact, studies using nationally representative data have shown that black and Latino children (who are more likely to live in urban contexts) are twice as likely as white children to be assaulted with a weapon, to be assaulted by multiple assailants, and to be injured during assault. Furthermore, black children are three times more likely to be exposed to shootings and twenty times more likely to witness a murder than white children (Finkelhor et al 2005; see also Finkelhor et al 2011Finkelhor et al , 2014. Using Add Health data, Harding (2010:29) reports that children in communities where poverty rates exceed 40 percent are more than three times as likely to feel unsafe as those in nonpoor neighborhoods.…”