Assessment of Violence Exposure Among Residential Children and Adolescents

Abstract

SUMMARY Childhood victimization is an important factor in assessing children in residential treatment. These children often have extensive histories of abuse and neglect, and are of high risk for violence exposure in their schools and neighborhoods. This article describes the concept of exposure to community violence, and its importance in assessing and treating children/adolescents in residential treatment settings. The Recent Exposure to Violence Scale (REVS) is presented and its psychometric properties and usefulness in residential treatment settings are elaborated.