Adolescents exposed to physical violence in the community: A survey in Brazilian public schools

Abstract

Objective. To determine the proportion of adolescents who have been exposed to physical violence in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Methods. Fifty-two Porto Alegre public schools that offer basic primary education (grades 1 to 8) were selected through a random sampling process stratified according to school size. In May-November 2000 a screening survey that identifies exposure to violence - experienced personally, witnessed, or knowing victims of violent acts - was administered to all students who were attending a randomly selected 8th grade class in each of the 52 schools. Results. The total number of adolescents included in the analysis was 1 193, representing 10.3% of the students enrolled in 8th grade classes in the city's public school system. On average, each adolescent had been exposed to 19.8 incidents of violence (standard deviation (SD) = 8.5): 2.0 incidents personally experienced (SD = 2.1), 8.5 incidents witnessed (SD = 4.0), and 9.3 knowing a victim of an incident of violence (SD = 4.1). In our sample, the variables of being male (P < 0.001), being in an older age group (P < 0.001), and not living with both parents (P < 0.001) were independently associated with exposure to more incidents of violence. Conclusions. We found a high prevalence of incidents of violence among the adolescents in our sample in Porto Alegre. Considering the particular burden inflicted by violent acts on adolescents, health professionals must develop effective approaches to actively identifying, intervening in, and preventing community violence.