Individual measurement of exposure to everyday violence among elementary schoolchildren across various settings

One hundred and thirty-four second- and fourth-grade students from two schools in Israel were measured individually using a Hebrew adaptation of the Violence Exposure Scale - Revised (VEX-R), a self-report scale measuring children's exposure to everyday violence. Children reported exposure as a function of situation (witness or victim) and setting (home, school, or neighborhood). They also reported on their own distress symptoms. The children's mothers also completed the VEX-R, indicating how they expected their child would report, and the Child Behavior Checklist. Children reported more exposure to violence at school compared to either the home or neighborhood, and more as witnesses than victims. Most of the violence reported was mild (e.g., pushing, chasing), while severe violence (e.g., shooting, stabbing) was rare in all settings. Children who reported themselves as frequent victims of violence were rated by their mothers as exhibiting more behavior problems than those reporting less victimization. The results support the validity of the VEX-R as a measure of exposure to violence for young children.