Using data from the New Zealand Youth 2000 series of cross‐sectional surveys conducted with high school students in 2001, 2007 and 2012, these researchers explored changes in adolescent reports of witnessing violence at home between 2001 and 2012. The study also sought to determine what risk factors may explain differences in adolescent exposure to violence at home. Overall, throughout this period of time, there was no change in youth reports of witnessing of emotional violence at home and a slight decline was found in reports of witnessing physical violence at home. However, significant differences were noted between 2001 and 2007, and 2007 and 2012, in the proportion of adolescents who reported witnessing emotional and physical violence. Latent class analysis identified four latent classes in the study cohort, characterised by respondents’ ethnicity, concerns about family relationships, food security and alcohol consumption. For two groups (characterised by food security, positive relationships and lower exposure to physical violence), there was a reduction in the proportion of respondents who witnessed physical violence but an increase in the proportion who witnessed emotional violence between 2001 and 2012. For the two groups characterised by poorer food security and higher exposure to physical violence, there were no changes in witnessing of physical violence in the home.
