The additive and cumulative effects of dual victimization on crime from a general strain theory perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study tested hypotheses from general strain theory regarding the additive and cumulative effects of direct and vicarious victimization on criminal coping among serious adolescent offenders transitioning into adulthood. Focus was placed on dual victimization, as a clustering of direct and vicarious victimization within a designated time period, and repeat dual victimization, an accumulated strain. Negative binomial regression models (NBRM) were conducted to examine the relationship between dual victimization, repeated dual victimization, and delinquency/crime using data from the Pathways to Desistance study. The risk of offending was greater among those who experienced dual victimization (versus no victimization) than those who experienced direct or vicarious victimization only. A cumulative effect of dual victimization on offending was not found, with more recent dual victimization experiences emerging as more consequential.