Violence victimization and negative health correlates of youth in post-earthquake Haiti: Findings from the cross-sectional violence against children survey.
BACKGROUND
We examined the prevalence of and relationships between violence victimization and negative health correlates of Haitian youth exposed to the 2010 earthquake.


METHODS
Participants were randomly selected 13-24 year-old youth (1457 females; 1459 males) living in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Data collected via Haiti's 2012 Violence against Children Survey (VACS) were analyzed.


RESULTS
Participants reported violence victimization in the past 12 months (females: 49.93%; males: 41.68%), moderate-to-severe mental distress (females: 76.56%; males: 66.41%), and suicidal ideation (females: 26.79%; males: 8.05%). Compared to participants without experiences of violence, victims of violence had significantly higher mean number of sexual partners (females: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.81-2.16, p = .02; males: 4.33, 95% CI: 3.50-5.16, p = .03), mental distress (females: 80.39%, p = .01; males: 72.95%, p = .002), and suicidal ideation (females: 36.09%, p < .0001; males: 12.02%, p < .0001). Male victims of violence were more likely to have sex without a condom (26.02%, p = .01) and female victims of violence were more likely to report histories of STIs (28.04%, p = .01), when compared to participants without history of violence.


LIMITATIONS
Data were collected via self-report. Disaster exposure experiences were not assessed. Analysis was correlational and did not control for potential confounding variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Disaster-exposed youth endorsed high levels of violence victimization and negative health correlates. Earthquake survivors who experienced violence were more likely to report negative health correlates. Greater attention to downstream sequelae of natural disasters is needed.
['Lai|Betty S|BS|', 'Osborne|Melissa C|MC|', 'De Veauuse-Brown|Natasha|N|', 'Swedo|Elizabeth A|EA|', 'Self-Brown|Shannon|S|', 'Massetti|Greta M|GM|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D002648:Child D019548:Crime Victims D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D055866:Earthquakes D005260:Female D006205:Haiti D006801:Humans D008297:Male D012307:Risk Factors D012742:Sex Offenses D014754:Violence D055815:Young Adult
Violence Youth Children Earthquake Disaster Displacement