New Research on Children’s Experience of Violence

A new piece of research has been released looking at New Zealand children’s experience of violence.  ‘Children’s Perceptions of Violence:  the Nature, extent and impact of their experiences’ by Dr. Janis Carroll-Lind, Associate Prof Juliana Raskauskas and Professor James Chapman was published in the latest issue of the Social Policy Journal of New Zealand.

The paper reports on a study that examined children's perceptions of the prevalence, incidence and impact of violence experienced or witnessed by them, and factors that mitigated and reduced its impact. A national survey was undertaken of New Zealand children aged 9 to 13 years, with a representative sample of 2,077 children from 28 randomly selected schools of various sizes, geographic areas and socio-economic neighbourhoods. A questionnaire was developed for children to report the nature and extent of physical, sexual and emotional violence (including bullying) experienced at home, school and in the community.

The results showed high prevalence rates of physical, sexual and emotional violence experienced by New Zealand children within their homes, schools and communities.

Access full-text article from Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, issue 37, June 2011 

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