Using data from a multisite study of eighth-grade youths attending public schools in 11 U.S. cities in 1995, this study determined their self-reported violent victimization (simple assault, aggravated assault, and robbery).
The findings indicate that violent victimization is prevalent among youth. Nearly one-half of these eighth-grade youth reported being violently victimized by simple assault, aggravated assault, or robbery during the prior year, with victims experiencing an average of 4.4 incidents. Most of the victimizations involved simple assaults; only a minority of youth reported being victims of serious violence; however, 15 percent of the youth reported being victims of aggravated assault and/or robbery during the past year. Boys were more likely than girls to be violently victimized and to experience more incidents of violent victimization; Asian youths were the least likely to be victimized, compared with Native-American, African-American, Hispanic, and White youths; youths living in Kansas City, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Phoenix were at particularly high risk compared to youths residing in seven other cities. The authors recommend that research using multisite studies and a diversity of subjects continue to expand and that future researchers keep youth violent victimization in context by exploring multiple methodologies, sites, and types of violence. Such an approach is essential to developing successful prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing youth violent victimization. The final sample consisted of 5,935 eighth-grade public schools students. Participants were asked whether any of the specified violent incidents had ever happened to them, and if so, how many times in the past 12 months. 5 tables, 6 notes, and 54 references