Violence against children and youth, victimization context, and associations with mental distress among persons ages 13–24 years — Baltimore, Maryland, 2024
- Presentation Day/Time: Tuesday, April 21, 9:55 AM
- Presenter: Nhia Vang, DNP, BSN, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention
The Issue
- Exposure to violence adversely impacts health outcomes in children and youth. In the United States, state and local data on children's experiences of violence are limited, particularly regarding contextual factors (e.g., location), and often rely on retrospective adult reporting. Understanding local prevalence and contextual factors of violence during early development is crucial for effectively tailoring interventions implemented at the local level.
What We Did
- We examined the prevalence of violence by perpetrator type and location and their association with mental distress among children and youth in Baltimore, Maryland.
What We Found
- Witnessing violence was the most prevalent childhood violence experience, followed by emotional and physical violence. Witnessing violence in the community was significantly higher than in the home. Physical and emotional violence by peers was higher compared with other perpetrators (e.g., intimate partner). Among males, all violence experiences were significantly associated with mental distress, whereas only physical and emotional violence were for females.
What This Means
- Childhood violence is highly prevalent in Baltimore and associated with mental distress, with observed differences by perpetrator type, location and sex. These findings underscore the need for coordinated violence prevention and response strategies to reduce both immediate and long-term effects. Given the high occurrence of peer-perpetrated violence, school-based interventions might be especially crucial in Baltimore.
