| Beyond cases reported to authorities, | | | | mental health problems and delinquent |
| little knowledge exists on the types, | | | | behavior. For example:~ Negative |
| amount, and effects of childhood | | | | outcomes in victims of sexual assault |
| victimization. Through a national survey | | | | were three to five times the rate |
| of adolescents, researchers examined the | | | | observed in non victims.~ Girls who |
| prevalence of sexual assault, physical | | | | witnessed violence were nearly twice as |
| assault, physically abusive punishment, | | | | likely as boys to experience post |
| and witnessing an act of violence and | | | | traumatic stress disorder.This |
| subsequent effects on mental health, | | | | nationally representative sample does |
| substance use, and delinquent behavior | | | | not include adolescents from homes |
| problems. Gender and racial/ethnic | | | | without telephones and certain high-risk |
| specific findings are translated into | | | | adolescents (i.e., those who were |
| national estimates.Research findings | | | | homeless or housed in jails, juvenile |
| include (from the U.S. Department of | | | | correctional facilities, or inpatient |
| Justice):1. Rates of interpersonal | | | | mental health treatment |
| violence and victimization of 12 to 17 | | | | facilities).These are disturbing |
| year-olds in the United States were | | | | statistics and are supported by the well |
| extremely high, and witnessing violence | | | | known syndrome that rape cases go |
| is considerably more common.2. Black and | | | | largely unreported. Many times, children |
| native American adolescents were | | | | are embarrassed to report abuse, |
| victimized more than whites, Hispanics, | | | | especially sexual abuse, which allows |
| and Asians in each type of | | | | the perpetrator more time to continue |
| victimization. Much of the violence | | | | with the child (and others). The |
| experienced by youths is perpetrated by | | | | National Center for Child Abuse and |
| peers or someone the victim knows well. | | | | Neglect estimates that there are almost |
| Most sexual assaults (86 percent) and | | | | one million children in the US that |
| physical assaults (65 percent) went | | | | suffer life threatening physical |
| unreported.3. A clear relationship | | | | violence each year. |
| exists between youth victimization and | | | | |