Victimization Experienced by Youth Ages 14–17: Results from a New National Survey
~ By Colette
Over the past several years, The Prevention Researcher has focused on a number of violence-related topics. While some of these topics (for example our issue on sexual violence) seem obvious, other topics were harder to find research on and, at times, people seemed to question their importance. For example, the lack of research in the area of adolescent maltreatment made putting together that issue difficult. Additionally, I found that some people had difficulty realizing that teen-aged youth, as well as young children, can experience violence from the hands of their own parents. However, new research released this week confirms the need to be aware of, and support, adolescents who have experienced a broad range of victimization.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice released the first results of the comprehensive National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV). The NatSCEV asked youth (or their caregivers if they were younger than 10) about 48 types of victimization in seven different categories, happening in the home, school, and community. There is no doubt that we will be hearing about this data for many years to come as it not only covers a wide variety of exposure to violence, but also includes such variables as gender, race, socioeconomic status, family structure, region, and urban/rural residence.
I want to highlight a few brief statistics about victimization experienced by youth ages 14–17, as reported in the just released bulletin, “Children’s Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey.”
- Nearly 1 in 5 (18.8%) of 14–17 year-olds had been injured in a physical assault in the past year
- 1 in 6 (16.3%) had been sexually victimized in the past year (more than 1 in 4 experienced lifetime sexual victimization)
- 1 in 6 (16.6%) suffered maltreatment in the past year (including physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, child neglect, and custodial interference), with nearly 1 in 3 (32.1%) experiencing lifetime maltreatment
- 1 in 10 witnessed a shooting in the past year (1 in 5 had witnessed a shooting in their lifetime)
While younger children were more likely to be exposed to violence that was less severe (such as assaults without a weapon, bullying and teasing), older adolescents (ages 14–17) were more likely to experience more serious types of violence such as gang assaults, assaults with injury, and sexual victimizations. The 10–13 year old group was most likely to witness domestic violence involving their parents and assaults by other family members.
Interestingly, more than 1 in 3 (38.7%) of all youth reported more than one direct victimization within the past year. (Direct victimization is violence directed toward the youth, as opposed to the youth witnessing or hearing about violence directed at others.) Of those youth who reported any direct victimization, two-thirds (64.5%) reported more than one.
According to Dr. David Finkelor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center and lead researcher on the study, this research has three broad implications. First, there needs to be a broad mobilization about child victimization in general – much as there has been around childhood injury – instead of the segmented focus we currently have. Second, we need to equip those professionals who work with youth to identify all these different types of violence and victimization, as well as how to identify youth who have experienced multiple exposures. And, third, we need to do a better job of protecting youth from being exposed to violence in the first place.
As noted in the bulletin, those people who work with youth need to be prepared to ask more specific questions about a broader range of victimizations (e.g. dating violence, emotional abuse, or violence within the family). Additionally, those adults who are working with youth suffering from one form of victimization should ask about additional forms of victimizations the youth may have experienced to fully address their mental and emotional health needs.
An new resource for adults who work with youth is the You(th) Have the Right campaign by the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC). This campaign is designed to help teach adults about youth victimization and how they can help youth disclose crime and seek help. Several resources are available from the campaign’s Web site, including a bulletin designed to help adults recognize when a youth might be dealing with the trauma of victimization, understand why it is hard for many youth to seek help, and strategies for providing help.
As someone who is constantly on the lookout for good, national data about the lives of our youth, I am looking forward to learning more about the findings from the NatSCEV research. Beyond the broad brushstrokes provided in the initial release, this research should be able to provide us with a more nuanced sense of which youth are being impacted by which types of violence. By understanding more about the violence youth are experiencing we will be better equipped to provide appropriate prevention.
