“Children’s Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey”
The report presents findings from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, the most comprehensive survey to date of U.S. children’s exposure to violence in the home, school and community across all age groups from birth to age 17. The survey, which was conducted between January and May 2008, surveyed more than 4,500 children or their parents or adult caregivers regarding their past-year and lifetime exposure to violence.
The study marks the first time that data has been collected across all age ranges and all types of violence to define the full scope of violence-related experiences in a child’s life. It suggests that most U.S. children are exposed to violence in their daily lives, with more than 60 percent reporting exposure within the past year. Nearly one-half of the children and adolescents surveyed were assaulted at least once in the past year, and more than 1 in 10 were injured in an assault.
The report discusses findings regarding children’s direct and indirect exposure to specific categories of violence, 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.
