NCJ Number
189966
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 389-400
Date Published
August 2001
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined gun violence exposure and trauma among rural youth.
Abstract
The study compared rural youth exposed to gun violence and rural youth not exposed to gun violence on a number of variables: anger, anxiety, dissociation, depression, post-traumatic stress, total trauma, violent behavior, parental monitoring, and levels of violence in the home, school, and community. Data were obtained from students in grades 3 through 8 in three inner-city public schools, four small-city schools, and four rural schools in Ohio. The 2,245 students completed a 45-minute self-report questionnaire. This report focused on the rural student sample (N = 549). One-fourth of the rural youths reported having been exposed to gun violence at least once. Youth exposed to gun violence reported significantly more anger, dissociation, post-traumatic stress, and total trauma. In addition, youth exposed to gun violence reported significantly higher levels of violent behaviors and exposure to violence in other settings and also reported lower levels of parental monitoring. The study contributed to understanding children's exposure to gun violence in a rural setting in addition to exploring the trauma associated with this type of violence exposure. The study also provided further evidence that rural communities were not necessarily safe havens from violence. Tables, references