This study reports on the development of a structured
interview, My Exposure to Violence
(My ETV), that was designed to assess child and youth exposure
to violence. Eighty
participants between the ages of 9 and 24 were assessed.
Data from My ETV were fit to a
Rasch model for rating scales, a technique that generates
interval level measures and allows
the characterization of both chronic and acute exposure.
Results indicated that the fit
statistics for six scales, covering both lifetime and
past year victimization, witnessing of
violence, and total exposure, were all good. These scales
were found to have high internal
consistency (r=.68 to .93) and test–retest
reliability (r=.75 to .94). Evidence of construct
validity was provided by the item analysis, which revealed
a theoretically sensible ordering
of item extremity, and also by analysis of bivariate
associations. As expected, younger
subjects generally reported less exposure to violence than
did older subjects, males reported
more exposure than did females, African-American subjects
reported higher levels of
exposure than did White subjects, violent offenders
reported more exposure than did non-offenders, and those
living in high crime areas reported more exposure than did those
residing in low crime areas. Future areas of investigation
and the potential contribution to
studies of antisocial behavior and post-traumatic stress
disorder are discussed.
Abbreviations: ETV: Exposure to Violence; IRT: item
response theory; My ETV: My Exposure to Violence; PHDCN:
Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods;
PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder.