Survey of Exposure to Community Violence (SECV): Self Report Version

Factor: Being Valued in Community

Ages: Child, Teen, Adult

Duration: More than 8 minutes

Reading Level: Less than 6th grade

What

Developed by Richters and Saltzman (1990), the 54-item Survey of Exposure to Community Violence (SECV) measures how often people are exposed to different threats in their communities (e.g., being chased, drug activity, being arrested, physical assault, or witnessing a suicide or homicide).

Who

Researchers have used this scale with 5th and 6th grade children from low-income neighborhoods (Richters & Martinez, 1993), children from families receiving public assistance (Martinez & Richters, 1993), and Black single mothers (Mitchell et al., 2009).

Other researchers have used modified versions of the SECV with urban and rural college students, including students from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, including Black, Latinx, Asian, Native, White, and other backgrounds (Rosenthal, 2000; Scarpa, 2001). One student sample included respondents living in public housing, students from single-parent families, and students born outside the United States (Rosenthal, 2000).

How

INSTRUCTIONS

How: On a scale from 1 (never) to 9 (almost every day), respondents indicate how frequently they have experienced, witnessed, or heard about each type of violence (e.g., “How many times have you yourself been chased by gangs or individuals?” or “How many times have you seen someone else get chased by gangs or older kids?”). If respondents say that they experienced the event more than once, they answer follow-up questions about where it took place (near home, in the home, near school, in school, or other) and when it last happened (about a week ago, about a month ago, about 3 months ago, about 6 months ago, about 9 months ago, about a year ago, between 1 and 2 years ago, between 3 and 5 years ago, or more than 5 years ago). If respondents witnessed the event, they answer questions about whom it happened to (adult stranger, adult acquaintance, adult friend, young stranger, young acquaintance, young friend, parent, brother/sister, other relative, or don’t know).

This scale uses several different response options. Please see the Google document for detailed scoring instructions.

RESPONSE FORMAT

Multiple choice.

Why It Matters

College students who experience violence suffer from anger, anxiety, and depression (Rosenthal, 2000). Among 5th and 6th graders, experiencing or witnessing violence committed by family, friends, or acquaintances is related to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping (Martinez & Richters, 1993). The relationship between violence exposure and distress is strongest for children whose parents do not have a high school degree (Martinez & Richters, 1993).

HEADS UP

Some researchers have shortened the SECV so that it takes less time to complete (Mitchell et al., 2009; Rosenthal, 2000), but the document linked to this page contains the full-length version.

While exposure to community violence is associated with anxiety, depression, and anger, it does not necessarily mean that exposure to violence causes worse mental health. Researchers do not know whether exposure to community violence causes worse mental health or if some third force causes both.

This questionnaire contains potentially upsetting material. Researchers should consider preparing a list of support resources that respondents can use if they become upset.

SEE ALSO

Community Experience Questionnaire

References

Martinez, P., & Richters, J. E. (1993). The NIMH community violence project: II. Children’s distress symptoms associated with violence exposure. Psychiatry, 56(1), 22–35.

Mitchell, S. J., Lewin, A., Horn, I. B., Rasmussen, A., Sanders-Phillips, K., Valentine, D., & Joseph, J. G. (2009). Violence exposure and the association between young African American mothers’ discipline and child problem behavior. Academic Pediatrics, 9(3), 157–163.

Richters, J. E., & Martinez, P. (1993). The NIMH community violence project: I. Children as victims of and witnesses to violence. Psychiatry, 56, 7–21.

Richters, J. E., & Saltzman, W. (1990). Survey of Exposure to Community Violence: Self Report Version. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health.

Rosenthal, B. S. (2000). Exposure to community violence in adolescence: Trauma symptoms. Adolescence, 35(138), 271–284.

Scarpa, A. (2001). Community violence exposure in a young adult sample: Lifetime prevalence and socioemotional effects. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16(1), 36–53.