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Nature and Extent of Childhood Exposure to Violence: What We Know, Why We Don't Know More, and Why It Matters

NCJ Number
223665
Journal
Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 8 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2008 Pages: 29-49
Author(s)
Kristen Kracke; Hilary Hahn
Date Published
2008
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the literature on the incidence and prevalence of childhood exposure to violence (CEV) and discusses its limits in offering practitioners, researchers, and policymakers a comprehensive profile of the problem.
Abstract
Within the last 15 to 20 years, research has begun to recognize the impact of CEV beyond direct experience as a victim of violence. There is general agreement among researchers and practitioners that an ecological and transactional model is needed in order to have a complete understanding of the complexity of CEV and address the problem. Children exposed to violence must be understood in the context of the interrelationships of the child to the family, caregivers, and community in the context of a violent event, as well as in the context of the child's developmental status during which the exposure to violence occurred, as well as any previous events. As the understanding of the impact of CEV has grown, perceptions and categorizations of children's exposure have also broadened. The broadening of research findings on the nature of CEV has the potential to improve the way children and their families are served in all social service systems. This involves not only improving the effectiveness of the intervention and supports but also realigning systems around the family's strengths and needs in an ecological context. In order to accomplish this, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers must first agree about a joint agenda that can inform both policy and practice. Second, there is the need to develop and implement methodologies that incorporate and integrate the independent fields that address CEV as defined by the type of violence to which children are exposed, as well as the time frame, severity, and co-occurrence of types of violence. Third, a public surveillance system on children's exposure to violence should be created. 75 references