NCJ Number
183793
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 30 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 1999 Pages: 47-64
Date Published
1999
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined differences in reported problems among African-American youth exposed to violence and victimization.
Abstract
The findings resulted from a 2-year research effort to estimate the extent of violent victimization among inner-city youth in Virginia. Analyses were based on responses to self-administered questionnaires completed by 200 youth, between the ages of 12 and 18. Census tract data were used to obtain a stratified sample selected from various school church, and community organizations that service youth in urban areas. Data were collected by obtaining assistance from various youth organizations in three cities in Virginia. Students who participated in the youth organizations attended inner-city schools that had experienced firearm incidents in the recent past and had likely encountered gun-related violence (as victims perpetrators, or bystanders) out of school. Results suggest that a substantial number of African-American youth are exposed to direct victimization while in transit to and from school, and others are indirectly victimized through peer victimization. Additional support was found for the impact of violence on mental health status; subjects exposed to violence report greater posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms compared to youth who were not exposed to violence. Given these findings, this report suggests that future studies continue to examine the impact of violence on the emotional development of youth. 9 tables and 36 references