Violence and New Zealand Young People - A Summary

Report: Violence and New Zealand Young People

A summary

This report presents a snapshot of New Zealand secondary school students’ experiences of violence including witnessing violence at home, safety and bullying at school, being a victim of violence and being a perpetrator of violence.

The report uses data collected as part of Youth2000, a self-reported, comprehensive, anonymous survey undertaken in New Zealand secondary schools in 2001. In total, 9699 randomly selected Year 9-13 students from 114 randomly selected schools throughout New Zealand participated in this survey.

 

The main findings of this report:

Witnessing violence at home

Many students report witnessing violence in their home. 16% of students report witnessing adults in their home physically hurting children in the last year. 6% of students report witnessing adults in their home physically hurting other adults in the last year. Students report violence between parents or adults at home as particularly disturbing. Students who witnessed violence between adults at

home (compared to students who had not had this experience), had significantly increased rates of depression, anxiety and suicidalty, as well as increased rates of problem behaviour, substance abuse and relationship difficulties.

Feeling safe at school and bullying

About 30% of students report being bullied at school in the last year. 7% of students report being bullied frequently (weekly or more often) and about 20% of students report feeling safe at school only sometimes or not at all. In total, 3% of students have missed school in the last month because of bullying or teasing. Frequent bullying is associated with a number of problems including increased rates of mental health issues and relationship difficulties.

Unwanted sexual contact

About one quarter (26%) of female students and one in every seven (14%) male students report having experienced unwanted sexual contact. Unwanted sexual contact was also associated with health issues, mental health difficulties and substance use.

Being physically hurt by others

About half of students (51% of males and 40% of females) have been hit or physically hurt by others, on purpose, once or twice in the last year. Being hurt 3 times or more in the last year is reported by 16% of male and 10% of female students. Most of this violence is perpetrated by people that the students know and occurs in everyday settings. Male students most often report being hurt by friends and at school. Female students most commonly report being hurt by family members and at home. Being hurt frequently by others is associated with increased rates of mental health issues.

Violence perpetration

About half (49%) of male students and one third (32%) of female students reported that they had physically hurt someone else, on purpose, in the last year. Smaller numbers of students have used weapons (3% of males and 1% of females) or forced others to do sexual things they did not wish to do (4% of males and 1% of females). Students who have perpetrated serious violence have often been victimized or witnessed violence at home themselves. Perpetrating violence is also associated with multiple health problems including substance use, mental health issues, family difficulties and problem behaviour.

Results:

Witnessing violence at home

Most students (92%) report they feel cared for a lot by at least one parent or person who acts as a parent. The majority of students (71%) also report that they feel close to a parent or person who acts as a parent. Students who reported adults in their home yelling or swearing at, or hitting or physically hurting children or adults were asked ‘the last time this happened how bad was it?’ Of these experiences, adults hurting other adults was the most likely to be reported by students as being bad (pretty bad, really bad or terrible).

Feeling safe at school and Bullying

The majority of students (79% of females and 77% of males) feel safe in their school all or most of the time. Older students are more likely than younger students to report feeling safe at school. In total, about 10% of students reported having being bullied in a way they felt was pretty bad, really bad or terrible in the last year. This means for about one third (31%) of students who had been bullied in the last year, it was pretty bad, really bad or terrible. Students report being bullied in a variety of ways. Some types of bullying vary by gender. Male students are more likely than female students to report being physically hurt or threatened. Female students are more likely than male students to report being left out or ignored.

Unwanted sexual contact

One in five students, 26% of female students, and 14% of male students reported unwanted sexual contact. At seventeen years about 24% of female students and 14% of male students reported that they had ever been touched in a sexual way or made to do sexual things that they did not wish to do.

Being physically hurt by others

Around half of students (51% of males and 40% of females) were deliberately physically hurt by others in the last 12 months. Most students were physically hurt in everyday places (home and school). 38% reported that the last time they were hurt was at school and 41% reported that the last occasion was at home.

Being in fights or hurting others

About 1 in every 4 male students (28%) reported that they were in a serious physical fight in the last year. A few male students (5%) had needed medical treatment due to injuries from fighting in the last year. About 1 out of every 12 male students (9%) reported carrying a weapon such as a knife at least once in the last year and about 3% of all male students reported having attacked someone with a weapon in the last year. About half of male students (49%) reported that they had deliberately physically hurt someone else in the last 12 months, with 36% of all male students reporting that had occurred once or twice and 13% saying it happened 3 times or more.

Female students were less likely than male students to hurt others.

How often does violence co-occur?

In general, students who experienced any one type of violence were more likely to experience other types of violence. Students who hurt others 3 times or more in the last year were more likely than other students to have used a weapon in the year to attack someone. For example; 10% of female students who had hurt others 3 times or more had also used a weapon such as a knife to attack someone in the last year. For male students, 14% who had hurt others three times or more had also used a weapon in the last year. In general, students who were victims of violence were more likely than students who had not been victimized to perpetrate violence against others.

Violence and health and wellbeing

Students who were frequently victimized, witnessed violence at home or hurt others had, in general: poorer mental health; poorer relationships with family, friends and school; higher rates of using cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana; higher rates of unsafe sexual behaviour; and higher rates of stealing than students who had not had these experiences of violence

Sources:

Fleming T., Watson P., Robinson E., Ameratunga S., Dixon R., Clark T., Crengle S. (2007): Violence and New Zealand Young People: Findings of Youth2000 - A National Secondary School Youth Health and Wellbeing Survey. Auckland: The University of Auckland.