Half of U.S. teens report abuse, crime

DURHAM, N.H., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- More than 45 percent of U.S. youth reported to authorities at least one instance of violence, abuse, crime or bullying in the past year, researchers say.

David Finkelhor of the University of New Hampshire and colleagues say the findings challenge the conventional wisdom that childhood/adolescent abuse is a hidden problem and much abuse goes undisclosed.

Finkelhor and colleagues conducted a national telephone survey involving 4,549 teens ages 10-17 from January to May 2008, about five types of victimization -- conventional crime, maltreatment, abuse by peers and siblings, sexual abuse and indirect exposure to violence such as witnessing abuse. Parents of children ages 9 and under were also interviewed.

The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, finds a total of 58.3 percent of the children and teens reported at least one direct victimization in the past year. Of these, 45.7 percent had at least one victimization that was known to authorities.

In 1992, 25 percent of cases of victimization among teens ages 10-16 years were reported to authorities, Finkelhor says.

The incidents reported tended to be more serious -- 69 percent of the cases of sexual abuse by a known adult, 73.5 percent of kidnappings and 70.1 percent of gang or group assaults were reported.