Victimization and polyvictimization among Spanish youth protected by the child welfare system

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyze lifetime and past-year victimization and polyvictimization among adolescents in residential care from a southwestern European country. Also, age and gender differences in victimization profiles were examined. MethodA sample of 129 youths aged 12–17years old (M=14.58, SD=1.62; 65 females) were recruited from 18 residential facilities in Spain. The 36-item interview version of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (Finkelhor, Hamby, Ormrod, & Turner, 2005) was used to assess interpersonal victimization experiences. ResultsAll adolescents reported at least one type of victimization during lifetime, and 85.3% did so for the past year. The most common lifetime and past-year victimization experiences were witnessing and indirect victimization (90.7% and 51.9%, respectively) and conventional crime (88.4% and 66.7%, respectively). Females were more likely to report lifetime and past-year witnessing of family violence (OR=3.37 and OR=8.51, respectively) and caregiver victimization (OR=2.98 and OR=5.92, respectively), and past-year sexual victimization with physical contact (OR=4.36 and OR=3.40, respectively) than were males. Regarding polyvictimization thresholds, 53.1% and 26.5% of protected adolescents were lifetime and past-year polyvictims, respectively, and they suffered victimizations from 3 to 6 different domains in both time frames. ConclusionsVictimization and polyvictimization should be continuously assessed in the child welfare system in order to prevent future exposure to violence among already vulnerable adolescents.