Avanti Adhia
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Avanti Adhia is a Doctor of Science student in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research interests are in social epidemiology and violence prevention, specifically around intimate partner violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Her dissertation research focuses on the predictors and outcomes of adolescent dating violence using longitudinal cohort data. Avanti holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University.
Background: Children in the United States are four times more likely to be homicide victims as children in other high-income countries. More comprehensive understanding of the circumstances surrounding these violent deaths is needed to prevent child homicide. The objectives of this study were to describe characteristics of homicides of children ages 2-14 and identify differences by age and race.
Methods: The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) is an active surveillance system for violent deaths that includes data from death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, and law enforcement reports. We used data on children ages 2-14 from 16 continuously reporting states for all years 2005-2012. Age groups were established as follows: 2-4 (pre-school), 5-10 (K-5), and 11-14 (pre-teen). Characteristics of homicides (including perpetrator sex, race, age, relationship and weapon) were stratified by race and age category of the victim. Homicides inside vs. outside the victim’s home were examined separately. Age and racial group comparisons were conducted using the χ2 or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate.
Results: Of 983 victims, 57.4% were male, 47.2% were white and 38.7% were black. 62.6% of perpetrators were male, and the large majority were the same race as the victim. Parents and caregivers were the most common perpetrators – less than 4% of homicides were committed by a stranger. Firearms were involved in 36% of homicides overall but 70% of homicides of 11-14 year olds. Over 60% of homicides occurred inside the victim’s home. Compared to homicides outside of the home, those occurring inside were more likely to be committed by parents and less likely to involve a firearm.
Conclusions: Homicides of children are most often committed by parents and caregivers and occur in the home. Prevention and intervention strategies to reduce child homicide should target the home and family environment and consider access to firearms.
