Summary of the Report

The report discusses the types, effects and amounts of childhood victimization that exist in United States but go unreported to the authorities. The researchers used the national survey of adolescents and examined the prevalence of physically abused punishment, sexual assault and physical assault. They also examined the act of witnessing violence and its subsequent effects on the mental health of the victim. The ethnic and gender findings in the report have been translated into national estimates. According to Turanovic and Pratt (2016), the results reveal that the rate of victimization and interpersonal violence of adolescent or those between the ages of 12-17 are extremely high in U.S.A. In the same way, witnessing for violence is equally common. 

Native and Black adolescents were victimized more than the Whites, Asians and the Hispanics in every given type of victimization. Most of the types of violence that the youths experienced were effected by someone the victim knew well or a fellow peer. 86% of the sexual assaults and 65% physical assaults were not reported to the authorities. There is a clear relationship between delinquent behavior, mental health problems and youth victimization. For instance, the negative outcomes observed in the victims of sexual assault were 3-5 times the rate that was observed in the non-victims (Turanovic and Pratt, 2016). The number of females who witnessed violence was twice as likely as the boys who experienced posttraumatic stress disorder.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study

The study had a number of weaknesses in that the nationally representative sample did not include the youths at home. There must have been adolescents in remote areas or those that did not own phones and were in certain risks. For example, the study did not cover the youths who were in jails, juvenile correctional facilities or were homeless in the streets. Similarly, it did not incorporate adolescents who might have been in inpatient mental health treatment facilities (Berg, Shiu and Nguyen, 2015). 

However, there are several strengths exhibited by the report. In the methodology used, there was restriction in generalization of the results that were obtained from the previous studies. The study became the first to simultaneously examine all the relationships experienced of victimization and various mental health problems (Berg, Shiu and Nguyen, 2015). The study also derived an explanatory model that connected the various variables. This helped to test the variables with a nationally representative sample.

The Findings of the Report

The report’s finding indicated that the emotional consequences that the youths experience when they are victimized are like; psychological disorders, delinquency problems and dependence. The emotional consequences are usually overlooked in research and media (Young, Grey and Boyd, 2008). This has brought issues to the national consciousness. This is true because the media fails to look at the real problems that the youth face when they are victimized. The emotional consequences go unnoticed and thus the real problem is not solved.

This is a serious issue because it can lead to children suffering from mental health, abusing drugs and having delinquent behavior problems as the research indicates. Some of the problems that go unnoticed lead to the youths suffering lifelong consequences. This shows that psychological help should be provided for children who suffer victimization and help them to live normal lives (Young, Grey and Boyd, 2008). This is especially to girls who are most likely to suffer posttraumatic disorders considered to boys.

References 

Berg, K., Shiu, C., & Nguyen, H. (2015). Prevalence of victimization, and associated risk factors, impacting youth with disabilities in Vietnam: a population-based study. International Journal On Disability And Human Development, 14(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ijdhd-2014-0007 

Young, A., Grey, M., & Boyd, C. (2008). Adolescents’ Experiences of Sexual Assault by Peers: Prevalence and Nature of Victimization Occurring Within and Outside of School. Journal Of Youth And Adolescence, 38(8), 1072-1083. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9363-y

Turanovic, J., & Pratt, T. (2016). Consequences of Violent Victimization for Native American Youth in Early Adulthood. Journal Of Youth And Adolescence, 46(6), 1333-1350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0587-y