| Beyond cases reported to authorities, little knowledge | | | | between youth victimization and mental health |
| exists on the types, amount, and effects of childhood | | | | problems and delinquent behavior. For example:~ |
| victimization. Through a national survey of adolescents, | | | | Negative outcomes in victims of sexual assault were |
| researchers examined the prevalence of sexual | | | | three to five times the rate observed in non victims.~ |
| assault, physical assault, physically abusive punishment, | | | | Girls who witnessed violence were nearly twice as |
| and witnessing an act of violence and subsequent | | | | likely as boys to experience post traumatic stress |
| effects on mental health, substance use, and delinquent | | | | disorder.This nationally representative sample does not |
| behavior problems. Gender and racial/ethnic specific | | | | include adolescents from homes without telephones |
| findings are translated into national estimates.Research | | | | and certain high-risk adolescents (i.e., those who were |
| findings include (from the U.S. Department of Justice):1. | | | | homeless or housed in jails, juvenile correctional |
| Rates of interpersonal violence and victimization of 12 | | | | facilities, or inpatient mental health treatment |
| to 17 year-olds in the United States were extremely | | | | facilities).These are disturbing statistics and are |
| high, and witnessing violence is considerably more | | | | supported by the well known syndrome that rape |
| common.2. Black and native American adolescents | | | | cases go largely unreported. Many times, children are |
| were victimized more than whites, Hispanics, and | | | | embarrassed to report abuse, especially sexual abuse, |
| Asians in each type of victimization. Much of the | | | | which allows the perpetrator more time to continue |
| violence experienced by youths is perpetrated by | | | | with the child (and others). The National Center for |
| peers or someone the victim knows well. Most sexual | | | | Child Abuse and Neglect estimates that there are |
| assaults (86 percent) and physical assaults (65 | | | | almost one million children in the US that suffer life |
| percent) went unreported.3. A clear relationship exists | | | | threatening physical violence each year. |