Prevalence and mental health correlates of witnessed parental and community violence in a national sample of adolescents

Background:  Although research suggests that witnessed violence is linked to adverse mental health outcomes among adolescents, little is known about its prevalence or its significance in predicting psychiatric symptoms beyond the contribution of co‐occurring risk factors. The purpose of this study w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of child psychology and psychiatry 2009-04, Vol.50 (4), p.441-450
Main Authors: Zinzow, Heidi M., Ruggiero, Kenneth J., Resnick, Heidi, Hanson, Rochelle, Smith, Daniel, Saunders, Benjamin, Kilpatrick, Dean
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adolescence
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Age Differences
Age Factors
Anxiety disorders. Neuroses
At Risk Persons
Biological and medical sciences
Community Relations
community violence
Correlation
Depression
Depression (Psychology)
Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology
Depressive Disorder, Major - etiology
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
domestic violence
Domestic Violence - psychology
Environmental Influences
Ethnicity
Family Violence
Female
Gender Differences
Humans
Incidence
Income
Interviews as Topic
Logistic Models
Male
Medical sciences
Mental depression
Mental Disorders
Mental Disorders - diagnosis
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Mental Disorders - etiology
Mental Disorders - psychology
Mental Health
Mood disorders
Parent Influence
Parents
Parents - psychology
Post traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Prevalence
Prevention
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychiatry
Psychological Evaluation
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Public Health
Racial Differences
Residence Characteristics
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology
Stress Variables
Stress, Psychological - complications
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Teenagers
United States - epidemiology
Victimology
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violence - psychology
Violence - statistics & numerical data
Witnessed violence
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Summary:Background:  Although research suggests that witnessed violence is linked to adverse mental health outcomes among adolescents, little is known about its prevalence or its significance in predicting psychiatric symptoms beyond the contribution of co‐occurring risk factors. The purpose of this study was to identify the national prevalence of witnessed parental and community violence and to examine these life stressors as independent risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive episode (MDE) among adolescents. A secondary aim was to determine which characteristics of witnessed violence were associated with mental health outcomes. Method:  Participants were 3,614 adolescents recruited from a 2005 US national household probability sample who completed structured telephone interviews assessing witnessed violence and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‐IV (DSM‐IV) criteria for PTSD and MDE. Results:  National prevalence of witnessed parental violence and witnessed community violence was estimated to be 9% and 38%, respectively. Both forms of witnessed violence predicted PTSD and MDE beyond variance accounted for by age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, and other traumatic event history. Perceptions of threat, repeated violence exposure, location of the violence, and relationship to the victim were associated with psychiatric diagnoses. Conclusions:  Findings suggest that witnessed violence represents a significant public health burden with implications for psychological assessment and prevention efforts.
ISSN:0021-9630
1469-7610
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02004.x