[Epidemiological characteristics of minors' exposure to experiences of violence in Greece: the BECAN study]

In this study preliminary results are presented by the Hellenic part (n=10,451, children's response rate: 71.87%) of the BECAN study. This study, funded by EU's FP7 (ID: 223478), was an international epidemiological field research in a representative randomly selected sample of school children ageing 11, 13 and 16 years old in 9 Balkan countries, conducted via self completed questionnaires ICAST-C and ICAST-P by the children and their parents. In virtue of the research's design, anonymity of responders could be preserved via a unique code resulting in pairs of child-parent questionnaires. ICAST tools inquiring exposure to various forms of violence are structured in sub-scales. In Greek part's results, incidence and prevalence were respectfully found to be 47.38% and 76.37% for physical violence, 70.02% and 83.16% for psychological violence, 9.54% and 15.84% for sexual violence, 4.45% and 7.60% for the part of the later including some short of physical contact and 26.41% and 37.20% for self-reported subjective feelings of neglect. In contrast with the rather disappointing findings regarding exposure of Greek children to violence, most of the participant subjects reported also at least one recollection of positive, non violence parental behaviors in percentages reaching 96.21% and 98.18% for the last year or during childhood respectfully. Further analysis of results documented that statistically significant differences regarding increased figures of females' prevalence rates for exposure to physical and sexual violence (p-value <5%) and both their prevalence and incidence rates regarding subjective feelings of neglect (p-value <1%). On the contrary, males' rates were found to be more increased towards females' ones at a level of statistically significance (p-value <1%) regarding exposure to sexual violence both overall and the part of it including physical contact. Moreover, females reported more often than boys experiences of positive parental practices (p-value <5%). Relatively minor diversities were found in regards to venue of residence with some mild differences (p-value <5%) of increased incidence rates of exposure to physical violence and decreased prevalence rates of exposure to physiological and overall sexual violence of children living in rural areas. A constant statistically significant differentiation was established regarding school grade of responders with a gradual increase of exposure rates to psychological and sexual violence and feelings of neglect for both incidence and prevalence; the most outstanding of these increase trends were found between 1st school-grade of Gymnasium and 1st school-grade of Lyceum (roughly corresponding to age period between 13 and 16 years old children) which is by and large attributable more to male subjects and the constant increase of feelings of been neglected as children move towards adulthood which is caused mainly in virtue of female responders. In overall, findings of this research are differentiated from results reported from other countries in terms of almost equation of male to female ratio of exposure to physical and sexual violence (in contrast with male's and females' rates respectful regularly reported predominance), while regarding incidence rates of males' sexual victimization the sex ratio was found to be reverse than the anticipated according to international scientific literature.