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