NCJ Number
196256
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 179-186
Date Published
August 2002
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined mental health outcomes for children who had witnessed violence in their social environment and/or had been physically abused themselves.
Abstract
Participants for this analysis were drawn from a sample of participants in the Stress, Social Support, and Abuse and Neglect in High Risk Infants Study, which is focusing on determining the antecedents of child maltreatment reports. A total of 788 mother-infant dyads were recruited in 1985-87 from North Carolina hospitals and health departments. From this longitudinal study, 167 participants were selected for the current study. The study determined the level of violence witnessed by the child through both child and caregiver reports. The child's report of witnessed violence was measured by the "Things I've Seen and Heard" survey administered at the age 8 interview. Outcomes -- including depression, anger, and anxiety -- were measured with the Child Behavior Checklist and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. The authors used adjusted multivariate analyses to test the statistical significance of associations. The majority of the children were female (57 percent) and nonwhite (64 percent). One-third had been physically abused; 46 percent had witnessed moderately high levels of violence. The findings confirm that children are negatively affected by victimization and violence they witness in their homes and neighborhoods. Victimization was a significant predictor of child aggression and depression, and witnessed violence was found to be a significant predictor of aggression, depression, anger, and anxiety. Implications of these findings for interventions are discussed. 2 tables and 33 references