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Evidence From 2 National Surveys

David Finkelhor, PhD; Heather Turner, PhD; Richard Ormrod, PhD; Sherry L. Hamby, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(3):238-242.

Objective  To assess trends in children's exposure to abuse, violence, and crime victimizations.

Design  An analysis based on a comparison of 2 cross-sectional national telephone surveys using identical questions conducted in 2003 and 2008.

Setting  Telephone interview.

Participants  Experiences of children aged 2 to 17 years (2030 children in 2003 and 4046 children in 2008) were assessed through interviews with their caretakers and the children themselves.

Outcome Measure  Responses to the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire.

Results  Several types of child victimization were reported significantly less often in 2008 than in 2003: physical assaults, sexual assaults, and peer and sibling victimizations, including physical bullying. There were also significant declines in psychological and emotional abuse by caregivers, exposure to community violence, and the crime of theft. Physical abuse and neglect by caregivers did not decline, and witnessing the abuse of a sibling increased.

Conclusion  The declines apparent in this analysis parallel evidence from other sources, including police data, child welfare data, and the National Crime Victimization Survey, suggesting reductions in various types of childhood victimization in recent years.

Author Affiliations: Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham (Drs Finkelhor, Turner, and Ormrod); and Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee (Dr Hamby).

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