Early adolescents exposed to violence: hope and vulnerability to victimization

Eighty-nine early adolescents were measured for perceptions of hope, exposure to violence, and perceived vulnerability to victimization. Results showed the presence of high hope, together with a high degree of exposure to violence. The adolescents were about equally divided regarding the nature of their own death, while most predicted a violent death for the "average American." The highest levels of hope were reported by those who had witnessed violence but not experienced it personally; those with the greatest exposure to violence predicted their own death would be violent.