Victimization Experiences Research Articles

Neighborhood ethnoracial diversity and positive psychotic symptoms among youth at high-risk and healthy comparisons

Neighborhood ethnoracial composition has been associated with schizophrenia, but mechanisms are unclear. This study investigates the moderators and mediators of the association between neighborhood ethnoracial diversity and positive symptoms among youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and healthy comparisons (HC). Data were collected as part of The North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study and included 492 youth at CHR-P and 136 HCs. Neighborhood ethnoracial diversity measures the probability that two people chosen at random will be from different ethnoracial groups. Attenuated positive symptoms were derived from the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms. Peer victimization and discriminatory experiences were constructed as latent variables. Using structural equation modeling, this study tested the relationship of these variables and included the following covariates: age, sex, neighborhood poverty, and depressive symptoms. Greater neighborhood ethnoracial diversity was associated with reduced positive symptoms among ethnoracial minorities at CHR-P (β=-3.78; 95 % CI [-6.61, -0.84]). Fewer life events of peer victimization (β=-0.13; 95 % CI [-0.24, -0.03]) leading to perceived ethnoracial discrimination (β=0.56; 95 % CI [0.45, 0.67]) mediated 15.06 % of this association. These findings deepen our understanding of the social determinants of psychosis and may help develop effective interventions to prevent psychosis, especially among ethnoracial minority youth at high risk.

Psychological, physical, and professional impact on second victims in veterinary anaesthesia: a cross-sectional international survey - Part 1

ObjectiveTo investigate the psychological, physical and professional impact of veterinary patient safety incidents (PSIs) on veterinary anaesthesia professionals. Study designWe conducted an observational cross-sectional survey, inviting veterinary anaesthesiologists, anaesthesiologists in training and veterinary nurses/technicians through social media platforms from 2 June 2023 to 20 September, 2023. The questionnaire was based on Second Victim Experience and Support Survey (SVEST) and analysed using descriptive statistics and subscale scoring to assess psychological, physical and professional impacts. ResultsA total of 303 participants from 31 countries responded, including North (24%), Central (13.5%) and South America (25%), Europe (13.2%), UK (12.5%), Australia/New Zealand (8.1%) and Asia/Middle East (3.3%). A participation rate cannot be estimated. All respondents described themselves as second victims, with 70% encountering a PSI in the past 6 months. Of the 303 participants, 75% had direct involvement with the incident. Common post-incident challenges included an increased awareness for PSIs (67.1%), fear of new PSIs (62.7%), diminished confidence (56.1%), more defensive medicine practice (46.7%) and sleep disorders (43.3%). Additionally, 62.7% agreed or strongly agreed that they experienced embarrassment post-incident. After a PSI, approximately 69% of the participants reported feeling inadequate in their animal care abilities, and a similar percentage questioned their professional competence. Over half of the respondents (54.6%) became fearful of undertaking high-risk procedures. Approximately 38% of respondents considered leaving the field of anaesthesia, and over 56% harboured thoughts of leaving their job because of the stress from PSIs. Additionally, a significant proportion (69.8%) reported not taking time off work following PSIs. Conclusions and clinical relevanceThe study identifies a significant psychological, physical and professional impact on veterinary anaesthesia professionals, with notable effects on their emotional well-being and professional self-efficacy. The findings emphasize the need for supportive measures and interventions to mitigate the adverse effects experienced by these individuals.

The experience of sexual harassment victims in accessing counseling services at higher education institutions in Samarinda

This study aims to understand the experiences of sexual harassment victims in accessing counseling services at higher education institutions in Samarinda. The research addresses a gap in the literature, as most previous studies have focused more on the legal, sociological, and psychological aspects of sexual harassment but have not deeply explored the experiences of victims in accessing counseling services at the university level. This qualitative phenomenological research employed the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. The participants consisted of four sexual harassment victims from two universities, one public and one religious-based institution. The findings of this study identified three main barriers. First, a lack of information regarding the counseling services available on campus led to delays in seeking help by the victims. Second, feelings of shame prevented victims from accessing counseling services as they were reluctant to share their traumatic experiences. This sense of shame was often exacerbated by fear of being blamed or perceived as overreacting by others, causing victims to keep their experiences to themselves. Third, the fear of social and academic stigma, including concerns about negative judgment from peers and lecturers, particularly if the perpetrator was a faculty member, became a significant obstacle for victims seeking help. Some victims even expressed concerns about the impact on their academic achievements if the incident became public. The study emphasizes the importance of policies that ensure easy access and clear information about counseling services, as well as efforts to reduce stigma, to encourage victims to seek help.

청소년이 인식하는 혐오표현에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors influencing hate speech during adolescence and to examine the impact of hate awareness formed during this period on various aspects of adolescent life. For this purpose, publicly available data from the “2020 Study on the Exposure to and Countermeasures for Hate Speech among Adolescents,” conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute of Korea, was used. The analysis included data from 3,938 middle and high school students, excluding missing values. The main research findings based on the analysis are as follows. First, it was found that as experiences of hate speech victimization, the perceived social influence of hate speech, and levels of hate towards minority groups increased, the awareness of hate speech during adolescence also heightened. Second, among the risk factors influencing the awareness of hate speech during adolescence, the social influence of hate speech emerged as the most significant factor. Through this, the aim is to raise awareness among adolescents about social minorities, such as women, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly, emphasizing that they are members of our societal community with whom we must coexist.

How False Advertising Victims’ Experiences Define Their Online Purchase Decision in Fashion Product? - Comparison between Generations

This research aimed to analyze how the experiences of victims of false advertising in the fashion industry can influence their behavior in online purchasing decisions. This research used quantitative research, which is based on the positivism paradigm. Research data was obtained from consumers in the fashion industry in Indonesia who had experienced advertising fraud, with a sample size of 200 respondents. Research data was then analyzed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with a moderation model. This research also compared the purchasing decision behavior of each generation as control variables. The results of the analysis showed that: exposure to false advertising and perceived risk do not have a significant influence on purchasingdecisions, both in model one and model two, hedonism and impulsive buying behavior have a significant influence on purchase decision, both in model one and two, hedonism and impulsive buying behavior are neither able to strengthen nor weaken the influence of exposure to false advertising and perceived risk on purchase decision, both models and all control variables consisting of age generation, gender and marital status do not havea significant influence on purchase decision.

Trajectories of academic performance in sexually abused children and potential correlates

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with detrimental consequences in children, including lower academic performance. However, studies have rarely explored the diversity of longitudinal academic profiles among CSA victims. Objectives: The objectives of this study were (1) to identify trajectories of academic performance in CSA victims and (2) to explore potential correlates of these trajectories. Participants and settings: The study involved 738 Canadian children between the ages of 5 and 14 who had experienced CSA and their non-offending parent and their teacher. Methods: At three different assessment times, spaced 6 months apart, the child’s teacher was invited to complete a questionnaire regarding the child’s academic performance. Measures of potential correlates of the trajectories were assessed by teacher (child’s behavior problems), parents (children’s experience of peer victimization) and children (coping strategies). Results: The three-trajectory model was selected as the final model. The High functioning trajectory (42%) included children who exhibited high academic performance at the first assessment but decreased slightly over time. The Low and Increasing trajectory (16%) identified children whose academic results were initially low but improved over time. Finally, the Moderate and Stable trajectory (42%) comprised children with an average academic performance over time. Compared to the other two groups, children in the High functioning trajectory were less likely to report peer victimization and show externalizing and internalizing behavior problems as assessed by caregiver and teacher. They were also younger and living in more socially and economically advantaged backgrounds. Conclusions: These results emphasize the crucial role of available resources in a child’s environment and their protective effect on their academic adaptation.

Urban Black adolescents' victimization experiences: The moderating role of family factors on internalizing and academic outcomes.

This study investigated the moderating role of family factors on victimization experiences and internalizing and academic outcomes. Data (collected 2017-2019) on 471 Black urban ninth graders (51% male; Mage = 14 years) with elevated externalizing symptoms were analyzed and we explored how the interaction between (self-reported) racial socialization, parent relations, and (teacher-reported) family academic involvement and (self-reported) violence exposure, racial discrimination, and (teacher-reported) bullying potentially influenced (student- and teacher-reported) anxiety and depression, and (student-reported) academic engagement and negative school attitudes. High racial socialization and parent relations were associated with lower internalizing symptoms for youth with discrimination and heard violence, respectively. High academic involvement and parent relations were linked with higher internalizing symptoms for youth with discrimination and high parent relations were linked with higher anxiety for bullied youth. Racial socialization and parent relations may help offset the potential influence of discrimination and heard violence, respectively, for adolescents.

Cyber offending in adolescence: The role of knowledge and experiences online on propensity to engage in unauthorised access

Cyber crime is a relatively new but quickly evolving crime type, and there is particular concern about the number of young people becoming involved in cyber crime, who may be at the start of a pathway into more serious and persistent cyber offending. The current study aimed to examine Computer Misuse Act (CMA) experiences and knowledge amongst secondary school pupils. Six-hundred-and-fifty-one pupils in secondary school years 10–13 (ages 14 to 18) took part in one of 29 outreach engagement sessions delivered by police officers. The sessions aimed to deter and divert young people from engaging or persisting in cyber offending and included information about the CMA and the potential consequences of committing CMA offences. Almost a third (30.6%) of pupils who took part reported that they had accessed another person's account without permission, two-thirds (62.5%) reported that they had been booted off a game previously, and 37.6% had experienced a data breech. As predicted, previous experience of online victimisation was associated with a greater likelihood of an individual going onto engage in unauthorised access themselves. Contrary to predictions, there was no association between pupils' online presence (as determined by their use of more than five online services) and engaging in authorised access. Surprisingly, better knowledge of the CMA was associated with an increased likelihood of engagement in unauthorised access. It may be that perceived risk, rather than awareness of illegality, is key, although further research is needed to confirm this. Empirical and policy implications of findings are discussed.

Bullying Victimization, Non-suicidal Self-injury, and Psychotic-like Experiences in Chinese Rural Adolescents: Exploring Transactional Associations

Bullying Victimization, Non-suicidal Self-injury, and Psychotic-like Experiences in Chinese Rural Adolescents: Exploring Transactional Associations

Childhood Sexual Abuse & Sexual Revictimization Among Sexual Minority Men

ABSTRACT Sexual minority (SM) men’s sexual revictimization (SR; i.e. experiences of adult victimization among childhood sexual abuse survivors) is an understudied topic despite evidence that SM men are disproportionately impacted by sexual violence (SV) over the life course. This study addresses this gap utilizing a diverse sample (n = 2859) of SM men (age 18–30) from the U.S. Results demonstrated that over 10% of SM men had experienced SR. Further, strength-based (e.g. sense of LGBTQIA2S+ community) and minority-stress (e.g. internalized homonegativity) related factors were examined as moderators of the relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and adult sexual assault victimization (ASAV) in the past six months. One factor emerged as a significant moderator of the CSA-ASAV relationship: perceived discrimination. Practice-based implications are provided.

Pharmacy prevalence of second victim syndrome in a comprehensive cancer center.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. The results of a survey to determine the pharmacy prevalence of second victim syndrome (SVS) at a comprehensive cancer center are presented. The division of pharmacy was surveyed using a 47-item online Qualtrics-platform questionnaire to help determine the prevalence of SVS. The questionnaire included demographic questions, questions about self-perceived SVS, and the validated Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST). The questionnaire was distributed electronically through senior leadership. The response rate was 95%, with self-perceived SVS reported in 37% of all respondents. Overall, 53% of pharmacists and 15% of pharmacy technicians reported having experienced SVS in their lifetime. Self-perceived time needed to recover from the most pronounced event was either less than a week or less than a month for 60% of respondents, with 10% never fully recovering. The SVEST score, which helped assess SVS impact, was neutral with a mean (SD) of 2.79 (0.51). The psychological distress and professional self-efficiency dimensions of SVEST each had a mean score of 3.5 or higher, suggesting prevalence of SVS symptoms. The resources most desired to help individuals recover from SVS were a peer support program, a specified peaceful location, time away from the unit, and an employee assistance program. The pharmacy division at a comprehensive cancer center is experiencing SVS. Programs targeting SVS should be considered for a pharmacy department or division at a comprehensive cancer center to help improve their employees' well-being and job performance. Multiple avenues of support resources are needed to meet everyone's needs.

Understanding the link between intimate partner violence exposure and children's self-regulation: The mediating role of parenting stress and warmth.

Intimate partner violence (IPV), affecting approximately 16.3% of U.S. households annually, has detrimental effects on children who witness it, leading to psychological distress, developmental delays, and behavioral issues. Self-regulation, a critical skill in managing attention, emotions, and behaviors essential for cognitive and social development, may be significantly impacted. The negative associations between mothers' experience of IPV and child self-regulation necessitate the examination of the underlying mechanisms, particularly during the sensitive period of early childhood. This study utilized longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4338) to investigate the mediating pathways linking mothers' experience of IPV (maternal victimization experiences) during infancy with children's self-regulation at age five. Results suggested that IPV exposure during infancy was longitudinally and negatively associated with children's behavioral and attentional regulation. This association was mediated by elevated parenting stress and decreased maternal warmth. These findings highlight the importance of programs aimed at reducing IPV and supporting mothers affected by IPV, considering their vital roles in nurturing healthy child self-regulation skills.

Exploring the Link Between Cyber Victimization and Depression.

Cyber victimization is strongly and positively associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence. Identifying mechanisms of this association is imperative to benefit adolescents' mental health. Applying the General Aggression Model in a theoretically novel way, this study examined a complex mediational pathway between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms. Two hundred seventy-seven adolescent participants (M age = 15.84; 65.7% females) reported their own cyber victimization experiences, depressive symptoms, and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral attributions in response to a hypothetical cyber victimization scenario. Path analysis within structural equation modeling was used to test a model where cyber victimization predicted depressive symptoms through characterological self-blame cognitions, sadness emotions, and passive avoidance behaviors. Characterological self-blame was found to partially mediate the positive and significant association between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms. Sadness emotions and passive avoidance behaviors did not emerge as significant mediators. The findings implicate the importance of cognitions in explaining the association between cyber victimization and depression and suggest incorporating cognitive re-framing education into anti-cyberbullying prevention programs.

Childhood Maltreatment, Revictimization, and Partner Violence Victimization Through Midlife: A Prospective Longitudinal Investigation.

Existing research suggests that prior victimizations during a person's lifetime, particularly childhood traumas and maltreatment, are risk factors for abuse and revictimization in adulthood, although longitudinal evidence is sparse. Using data from a 30-year ongoing longitudinal study of the long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment, this paper describes the extent to which childhood maltreatment predicts subsequent victimization and partner violence victimization at two time points in adulthood. Data were obtained from a prospective cohort design study in which children with court-substantiated cases of maltreatment (ages 0-11 years) and demographically matched controls were followed into adulthood and interviewed over several waves. Childhood maltreatment was assessed through juvenile and adult court records from 1967 to 1971 in a midwestern county area in the United States. Victimization experiences were assessed from 2000 to 2002 (Mage = 39.5 years) and 2009 to 2010 (Mage = 47.5) and included two types based on information from the lifetime trauma and victimization history instrument and questions about past year partner violence victimization. Individuals with histories of childhood maltreatment were more likely to report physical and sexual assaults and kidnapping and stalking victimization than controls through age 39.5. In contrast, the two groups did not differ at the later assessment at age 47.5, except maltreated individuals reported greater risk for sexual assault/abuse than controls. For intimate partner violence victimization at age 39.5, maltreated and control groups differed only in terms of victimization involving injury. Later in adulthood, more individuals with histories of childhood maltreatment reported partner physical violence victimization compared to controls. Although these longitudinal findings showed a general decline in victimization experiences over the two time points, these results demonstrate that childhood maltreatment increases risk for subsequent revictimization in middle adulthood, specifically for sexual assault/abuse and intimate partner physical violence victimization. These findings have implications for prevention and intervention efforts targeting maltreated children.

Lifetime Revictimization: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.

Despite the documented increasing prevalence of elder abuse victimization and its devastating health effects, a life-course view of the victimization experiences of older adults has rarely been adopted in the elder abuse literature. The current study investigated lifetime links between victimization experiences by examining the indirect effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) on elder abuse victimization via intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in middle adulthood, and whether this indirect association would differ by gender. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we analyzed the previous and current victimization experiences of a total of 5,391 older adults in their early 70s and estimated mediational and moderated mediation models. The key results indicated that a higher ACE score was associated with exposure to IPV victimization in middle adulthood, which was in turn associated with exposure to elder abuse victimization. This indirect association was stronger for women than for men. Regarding specific types of childhood victimization, parental physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing domestic violence significantly predicted elder abuse victimization via IPV victimization. Our results support the phenomenon of lifetime victimization, whereby an individual experiences reoccurring forms of victimization across the life course from childhood to late adulthood. Findings highlight the compelling need for the assessment of cumulative victimization experiences and their impact on elder abuse victims. A life-course-based, trauma-informed approach would greatly enhance prevention and intervention services for elder abuse.

Extending the healthy context paradox to nonintervention settings: Escalating problem behaviors among victimized social outliers.

It can be risky to be different. The healthy context paradox notes that a reduction in classroom bullying exacerbates problems for those who remain victimized (Huitsing et al., 2019). The present study extends this work by examining the costs associated with being a victimized social outlier [known also as a "social misfit" (Wright et al., 1986)] in (nonintervention) regular classroom settings, to determine whether students who are outliers in terms of classroom victimization respond with increasing adjustment problems. Participants were 706 public primary and middle school students (ages 9-14 years, Mage = 11.80, SDage = 1.13) in the United States (80 girls, 85 boys) and Lithuania (259 girls, 282 boys). Peer nominations of physical victimization and disruptiveness along with self-reports of physical victimization, conduct problems, and delinquent behavior were collected twice during an academic year (4 months apart). Longitudinal group actor-partner interdependence model analyses indicated that increases in adjustment problems over the course of the school year were a product of the degree to which a child was a victimized social outlier. Specifically, the discrepancy between individual victimization and classroom victimization norms at the beginning of the school year predicted increases in disruptiveness (d = -0.11), delinquent behavior (d = -0.10), and conduct problems (d = -0.08) from the beginning to the end of the school year. The results are consistent with the assertion that the risks of being a social outlier extend to those who stand apart in terms of their victimization experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Co-occurrence of Traditional and Cyberbullying Victimization Among Adolescents: Characteristics, Psychological Difficulties, and Resilience.

This study examines whether students' experience of combined victimization, the experience of both traditional bullying and cyberbullying, is correlated with psychological difficulties. Additionally, the study examines whether Israeli students who cope with combined victimization differ in their resilience resources from students who experience solely traditional bullying, cyberbullying, or neither. Participants included 430 students aged 13-15 years from four Israeli schools who completed self-report questionnaires. The study results indicate that students who experience combined victimization experience significantly greater psychological difficulties than students who experience traditional bullying and students who experience no victimization. Moreover, the extent of emotional self-efficacy and social support among students who experienced combined victimization was significantly lower than those who experienced no victimization. Implications of the results are discussed.

Effects of Unequal Treatment, Verbal Harassment, and Physical Violence on Subjective Cognitive Health Among Middle-Aged and Older LGBTQ Adults: Variation by Type and Basis of Victimization

This study investigated how different forms of victimization influence subjective cognitive health among middle-aged and older LGBTQ adults. Using data from the Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study, we applied Poisson regression models to examine the effects of victimization experiences, including variation by type and basis of victimization, on the number of self-reported cognitive difficulties. Regarding victimization type, we tested the effects of experiencing unequal treatment, verbal harassment, and physical attack in the last year on the number of self-reported cognitive difficulties. We also examined the effects of experiencing victimization based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, and race or ethnicity on the number of self-reported cognitive difficulties. Respondents who experienced victimization in the past year reported higher rates of cognitive difficulties than respondents who did not experience victimization. These results varied by victimization type. Experiencing unequal treatment and verbal harassment in the last year was associated with higher rates of self-reported cognitive difficulties. Experiencing physical attack did not significantly predict higher rates of self-reported cognitive difficulties. Finally, victimization experiences based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, and age all predicted higher rates of self-reported cognitive difficulties. Taken together, these results demonstrate how different forms of victimization could harm cognitive health among LGBTQ populations and generate cognitive health disparities.

Bias-Based Cyberaggression Related To Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Weight: Systematic Review of Young People's Experiences, Risk and Protective Factors, and the Consequences.

Bias-based cyberaggression-hateful and bias-based content and interactions via information and communication technologies-is a frequent experience for young internet users that can result in detrimental consequences for both individuals and society. Ample research has focused on the factors related to involvement in bias-based cyberaggression. This study systematically reviews the research published in the past decade about the investigations into exposure, vicarious and direct victimization, and aggression among young people (up to age 30). We aimed to provide a complex summarization of the research findings about the risk and protective factors and the consequences of experiences with bias-based cyberaggression-specifically the diverse manifestations of bias-based cyberaggression targeted toward ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender, weight, and disability. Three academic databases (EBSCO, Scopus, and WoS) were searched and 41 articles were included in the review. The results show a dominant research focus on bias-based cyberaggression victimization and on the bias-based cyberaggression that targets ethnicity, race, nationality, and religion, leaving a gap in the knowledge about the different types of targeted group categories and bias-based cyberaggression perpetration. The identified risk factors for bias-based cyberaggression involvement included being a minority, low psychological well-being, other victimization experiences, higher internet use, and risky internet use. An overlap was found for bias-based cyberaggression involvement with other offline and online victimization experiences. This review showed limited knowledge about protective factors, namely the social-level and contextual factors. The identified factors, as well as the gaps in the knowledge, are discussed in relation to research implications and practice and policy implications.

Gender Differences in Sexual Violence Victimization Experiences and Validity of Victimization Reports: A Think-Aloud Study

ABSTRACT This study compared the qualitative nature of women and men’s sexual violence (SV) victimization, the types of experiences captured and missed on the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) across genders, and common interpretations of the SES-SFV items. Fifty-four university students (31 women, 21 cis men, 2 trans men) who had recent unwanted (but not necessarily nonconsensual) sexual experiences thought out loud while privately completing the SES-SFV. They also typed descriptions of experiences reported on SES-SFV items or similar experiences when nothing was reported on an item. Results indicated that women’s victimization was more frequent and severe than cis men’s, except when men were victimized by men. Although verbal coercion was common across genders, event descriptions indicated that women’s verbal coercion experiences were more often harsh and part of a partner’s ongoing SV or coercive control. The findings suggest that quantitative measurement can mask important gender differences in victimization and (based on analysis of false positives and negatives) may underestimate rape and attempted rape experiences, especially women’s. Findings suggested that responding to the SES-SFV was not traumatic or distressing. However, participants sometimes expressed confusion about the items and interpreted them in unintended ways.