Definitional and measurement issues in the study of community violence among children and youths

Guterman, Neil B.; Cameron, Max; Staller, Karen M.

doi:10.1002/1520-6629(200011)28:6<571::aid-jcop3>3.0.co;2-q

Cited by 76 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Previous research with survivors of violence has suggested that errors in reporting violent experiences, particularly in underreporting, may derive from deliberate strategies on the part of study participants to keep violent events secret in an effort to avoid retribution, future harm or stigma (Guterman & Cameron, 1997;Guterman et al, 2000). It is possible that this is the case in our sample, especially for the reporting of rape and perpetration, which would likely result in underestimations of the relationships examined in this study.In addition, age of the child and the time between the violent event and the time of reporting are also important factors to consider (Brandt et al, 2005;Guterman et al, 2000;Tajima et al, 2004). In general, younger children (preschool age) tend to have a harder time accurately reporting violent events that may have happened to them (Tajima et al, 2004).…”

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confidence: 86%

“…Although many of the constructs we studied, such as family and community acceptance have particular relevance to Sierra Leone, to a large degree these constructs mirror mainstream theory about indicators of acceptance which have been used in prior research on the reintegration of adult soldiers following conflicts such as Vietnam (King et al, 1998) Further, the sensitive nature of the data collected may be affected by response bias, particularly for difficult events such as rape and perpetration of killing. Previous research with survivors of violence has suggested that errors in reporting violent experiences, particularly in underreporting, may derive from deliberate strategies on the part of study participants to keep violent events secret in an effort to avoid retribution, future harm or stigma (Guterman & Cameron, 1997;Guterman et al, 2000). It is possible that this is the case in our sample, especially for the reporting of rape and perpetration, which would likely result in underestimations of the relationships examined in this study.…”

mentioning

confidence: 87%

“…In addition, age of the child and the time between the violent event and the time of reporting are also important factors to consider (Brandt et al, 2005;Guterman et al, 2000;Tajima et al, 2004). In general, younger children (preschool age) tend to have a harder time accurately reporting violent events that may have happened to them (Tajima et al, 2004).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sierra Leone's Former Child Soldiers: A Follow-Up Study of Psychosocial Adjustment and Community Reintegration

Betancourt¹

2009

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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This is the first prospective study to investigate psychosocial adjustment in male and female former child soldiers (n=156, 12% female). The study began in Sierra Leone in 2002 and was designed to examine both risk and protective factors in psychosocial adjustment. Over the twoyear period of follow up, youth who had wounded or killed others during the war demonstrated increases in hostility. Youth who survived rape had higher levels of anxiety and hostility, but also demonstrated greater confidence and prosocial attitudes at follow up. Of the potential protective resources examined, improved community acceptance was associated with reduced depression at follow up and improved confidence and prosocial attitudes regardless of levels of violence exposure. Retention in school was also associated with greater prosocial attitudes.At present, Sierra Leone is still contending with the legacy of the 1991-2002 civil conflict involving the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the Sierra Leonean Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), the Sierra Leone Army (SLA), and local groups like the Civil Defense Forces (CDF). This bloody civil war led to human rights abuses, including mass mutilations and the pervasive use of children in armed conflict. Thousands of children, some as young as seven years old, were conscripted into fighting forces and paramilitary groups (Betancourt, Simmons et al., 2008; The World Revolution, 2001). Many young boys and girls were brutalized into submission, drugged and then forced to fight on the frontlines of combat; others who did not fight served as porters, cooks, guards, messengers, servants, NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript human shields or bush "wives." While most point to abduction as their point of entry into their role as child soldiers (Mazurana & Khristopher, 2004), some children may have assumed a more active role in their decision to participate in armed conflict. The breakdown of family and community systems, coupled with insufficient educational opportunities, left many children with limited viable options for the future (Ashby, 2002). Consequently, a militia group's promise of adventure, security, and camaraderie led some to turn to conscription into armed conflict as their 'best among the worst' of options (Machel, 2001;Peters & Richards, 1998;Shepler, 2005). As a result of their involvement with armed forces and armed groups, many youth were witnesses and/or perpetrators of intense physical violence, including summary executions and death-squad killings, torture, detention, rape, bombings, forced displacement, destruction of homes, and massacres of family members. They were deprived of their rights to the care and protection of their families, and denied education and other developmental opportunities.The Sierra Leone conflict involved direct attempts by rebel groups to destroy relations between young abductees and their families and communities. This was done by forcing many young people to commit atrocities (killings, assault) aga...

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confidence: 86%

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confidence: 87%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sierra Leone's Former Child Soldiers: A Follow-Up Study of Psychosocial Adjustment and Community Reintegration

Betancourt¹

2009

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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“…Currently, there is a great deal of difficulty in comparing results of studies with each other, as instruments incorporate widely varying implicit definitions of both the words "community" and "violence" (Guterman et al, 2000;Trickett et al, 2003).…”

Section: Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological Measurement of Children's and Adolescents' Exposure to Community Violence: Working with the Current State of the Science

Brandt

Ward

Dawes

et al. 2005

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev

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A number of measures have been used in epidemiological studies of children's exposure to community violence, yet the quality of these instruments is not uniformly good. This paper undertakes a systematic review of the most commonly used (or most promising) self-report or interview-administered instruments, with regard to their conceptual bases and psychometric properties. Based on the review, recommendations are made for working with the current state of the science in order to move the field forward. A key recommendation is for sounder conceptualization of work in the field and greater transparency in the reporting of research, in order to facilitate the comparability of studies.

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“…Studies about domestic violence are usually faced with the initial difficulty of defining what domestic violence is and how people's experiences with it should be measured (Brandt, Ward, Dawes, & Flisher, 2005;Guterman, Cameron & Staller, 2000;Trickett, Durán, & Horn, 2003). Violence is usually considered to be physical violence and psychological violence is ignored, and the domestic usually means spousal when it can also be targeted at children and other family members.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Adolescent’s Family Satisfaction and Attachment Quality Correlate in Cases of Domestic Violence

Weber

2017

Revista INFAD de Psicología

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This research examined the relationships between adolescents' attachment, communication, trust and alienation with their parents and how satisfied those adolescents are with their family life with the independent variable of having or not experienced domestic violence. Data was collected using the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment -Revised (IPPA -R) and the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale (KFLS) and 131 adolescents participated. Results indicate a high correlation between attachment, family life satisfaction and domestic violence, with mothers' attachment, trust and communication ranking higher than fathers'. Father communication and mother trust predict family life satisfaction and exposure to domestic violence had a direct effect on family satisfaction. Cluster analysis revealed three different group. Data shows that attachment to parents remains an important aspect of family relationship and domestic violence is a phenomenon that moderates the level of family life satisfaction. Detailed findings are presented and implications and research limits are discussed.

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Definitional and measurement issues in the study of community violence among children and youths

Cited by 76 publications

References 75 publications

Sierra Leone's Former Child Soldiers: A Follow-Up Study of Psychosocial Adjustment and Community Reintegration

Sierra Leone's Former Child Soldiers: A Follow-Up Study of Psychosocial Adjustment and Community Reintegration

Epidemiological Measurement of Children's and Adolescents' Exposure to Community Violence: Working with the Current State of the Science

How Adolescent’s Family Satisfaction and Attachment Quality Correlate in Cases of Domestic Violence

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