title: Epidemiological measurement of children's and adolescents' exposure to community violence: working with the current state of the science.
abstract: A number of measures have been used in epidemiological studies of children's exposure to community violence, yet the quality of these instruments is not uniformly good. This paper undertakes a systematic review of the most commonly used (or most promising) self-report or interview-administered instruments, with regard to their conceptual bases and psychometric properties. Based on the review, recommendations are made for working with the current state of the science in order to move the field forward. A key recommendation is for sounder conceptualization of work in the field and greater transparency in the reporting of research, in order to facilitate the comparability of studies.
authors.affiliation: Child, Youth and Family Development, Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Catherine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dawes
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Flisher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*