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Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Other Family Violence

NCJ Number
232272
Author(s)
Sherry Hamby; David Finkelhor; Heather Turner; Richard Ormrod
Date Published
October 2011
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This bulletin from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention presents the findings from the 2008 National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence that specifically looked at family violence.
Abstract

Major findings from the survey indicate that: in the past year, 11 percent of children were exposed to some form of family violence; 26 percent of the children had been exposed to at least one form of family violence during their lifetimes; most of the youth exposed to family violence incidences witnessed the incident as opposed to just hearing it; 68 percent of the youth witnessed only incidences perpetrated by males; and father figures were the most common perpetrators of family violence. This bulletin from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention presents the findings from the 2008 National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence that specifically looked at the issue of family violence. The survey was conducted between January and May 2008 and included interviews with 4,549 children aged 17 and younger regarding their experiences with exposure to violence. The children were asked whether they had seen, heard, or otherwise learned of eight types of family violence that included a parent being assaulted by a spouse/domestic partner; one parent threatening to assault the other parent; one parent threatening to damage or destroy the other parent's property; and one parent physically assaulting the other parent. The survey's findings indicate that children are often exposed to incidences of family violence and that their needs should be included in policies and programs that address the issue of family violence. Implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners are discussed. Table, figures, endnotes, and references