Adolescents' exposure to violence and associated symptoms of psychological trauma
Article Abstract:
High school students who are exposed to violence may be at an increased risk of psychological trauma including depression, anger, anxiety, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress. During the 1992-93 school year, researchers surveyed 3,735 adolescents who attended one of six high schools to determine the extent of violence exposure and its psychological impact. Adolescent males, particularly those in large-city schools, had high levels of victimization and witnessing violence. Thirty-three percent to 44% of males were hit, punched, or slapped at school, 3% to 33% had been shot or shot at, and 6% to 16% were attacked with a knife during the last year. Females had higher rates of physical victimization in the home and victimization from sexual assault or abuse than males. Violence exposure accounted for 29% of the variance in the overall trauma scores among adolescents. The greater the violence exposure, the higher the scores for overall trauma, depression, anxiety, anger, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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The accuracy of predictions of violence to others
Article Abstract:
Health care professionals may experience difficulty in predicting episodes of violent behavior in psychiatric patients. Among 714 psychiatric patients treated at the emergency room of a psychiatric hospital who were followed as out-patients over a six-month period, 357 were classified as likely to be violent and 357 were classified as not likely to be violent. Episodes of violent behavior occurred among 53% of the patients classified as likely to be violent, compared with 36% of the patients classified as not likely to be violent. Violent behavior was more difficult to predict for female patients than for male patients. The incidence of violent behavior was higher among female patients than male patients and higher among young patients than old patients. Clinicians were relatively accurate in predicting violent behavior at a rate better than chance for male patients regardless of age or race, but were not accurate when predicting female violence.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1993
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