Violence Victimization Experiences Research Articles

Bidirectional associations between family conflict and child behavior problems in families at risk for maltreatment

BackgroundChildren's exposure to family conflict is associated with the development of behavior problems. However, it remains unclear whether this association (1) functions bidirectionally and (2) exists independent of more severe forms of violent victimization. ObjectiveThe present study aimed to examine bidirectional and transactional associations between family conflict and children's behavioral problems, controlling for time-varying violent victimization experiences. Invariance testing examined whether these models differed by gender and by maltreatment status prior to initial recruitment. Participants and settingParticipants were caregiver-child dyads identified prospectively as being at risk for maltreatment and family violence exposure prior to age four (N = 1281; 51.4 % female; 74.6 % persons of color). MethodsCaregivers were interviewed prospectively about family conflict, children's aggressive and delinquent behavior, and children's victimization experiences at child ages 6, 8, and 10. ResultsAfter controlling for prior victimization, significant cross-lagged bidirectional associations were identified between family conflict and child behavior problems. Indirect effects from age 6 to age 10 externalizing problems through age 8 family conflict were not supported. Several bidirectional paths were stronger among boys than girls. Results revealed little evidence for moderation by prerecruitment maltreatment status. ConclusionsFindings support a conceptualization of the family-child relationship that is reciprocal in nature and highlight the importance of non-violent, everyday negative family processes. Interventions aiming to improve child behavior problems by targeting severely dysfunctional family processes should also address non-violent, lower-level patterns of negative family interactions, such as everyday instances of blame, criticism, nonacceptance, and favoritism.

Ákvörðun þolenda ofbeldis að tilkynna brot til lögreglu

Aðeins hluti þolenda ofbeldis tilkynnir til lögreglu og vanmetur því opinber afbrotatölfræði raunverulegan fjölda brota. Þar sem að vilji fólks til að tilkynna er mismunandi á milli hópa innihalda gögnin einnig kerfisbundna skekkju. Þannig getur verið að gögn sem eru notuð til að móta stefnu- og lagabreytingar í réttarkerfinu gefi upp ranga mynd af algengi og eðli brota. Í rannsókninni er skoðað hvaða tengsl tegund brotaflokks, félagsleg staða þolanda, og traust til lögreglu hafa á ákvörðun um að tilkynna ofbeldi. Rannsóknin byggir á samsettu gagnasetti þolendakannana sem lagðar voru fyrir árlega frá 2014 til 2021 (n = 19.440). Niðurstöður sýna að hlutfallslega færri þolendur kynbundins ofbeldis tilkynna til lögreglu en þolendur allra annarra brotaflokka. Mat þolanda á alvarleika brotsins hefur sterkustu áhrif á hvort ofbeldi til er tilkynnt til lögreglu. Ungt fólk og fólk utan höfuðborgarsvæðisins leitar síður til lögreglu en aðrir hópar. Í greininni er farið yfir flókin tengsl á milli trausts til lögreglu og ákvarðana um að tilkynna ofbeldi. Rannsóknin gefur til kynna að fólk sem hefur nýlega reynslu af ofbeldi beri minna traust en þau sem ekki hafa slíka reynslu, og traust er minna hjá þolendum kynbundins ofbeldis sem hafa tilkynnt en þeim sem ekki hafa tilkynnt til lögreglu. Þetta á ekki við um annars konar líkamsárásir. Rannsóknin gefur auk þess til kynna hlutfallslega fleiri þolendur alvarlegs ofbeldis í nánum samböndum tilkynni nú en á árunum 2014 til 2017.

Chinese Women's Financial Independence and Their Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Experiences.

China, as a traditional patriarchal society, provides an excellent context to examine whether and how increased financial independence of women may influence intimate partner violence. This study examines how financial independence influences Chinese women's victimization experiences of physical violence, psychological violence, controlling behavior, and sexual abuse. Data were collected from 600 married or divorced women aged between 20 and 60, who resided in a large metropolitan area in Southern China. Results indicated that while physical violence is reduced by women's financial independence, other forms of connective IPV against women are suggested as expressions of men's desire to keep financially independent women in place.

Interpersonal Violence Victimization Experiences of Middle School Youth: An Exploration by Gender and Sexual/Romantic Attraction

ABSTRACT Sexual minority youth (SMY) are at increased risk for interpersonal violence victimization compared to heterosexual youth. The current study examined how self-reported victimization (i.e., bullying, sexual harassment and dating violence) among middle school youth varied as a function of sexual/romantic attraction as well as gender identity. Cross-sectional data were gathered from students at seven middle schools in New England (n = 2245). Mean comparisons with post-hoc Tukey tests determined differences in rates of past 6-month and lifetime interpersonal violence victimization by sexual/romantic attraction and the intersection of gender and attraction. As hypothesized, interpersonal violence victimization among middle school youth differed as a function of sexual/romantic attraction as well as gender. To date, most research has focused on older samples, particularly high-school youth and young adults. These data are consistent with these prior studies documenting increased risk for interpersonal violence victimization among youth who indicate same-gender attraction but add to the literature in demonstrating the expansive forms of peer victimization that same-gender-attracted youth already experience by early adolescence. Given that victimization is associated acutely and longitudinally with many deleterious outcomes, including poorer mental health and increased risk for subsequent victimization, greater structural supports are needed for early adolescent SMY.

Increased Risk for Sexual Violence Victimization on Drinking Days Involving Pregaming

ABSTRACT Alcohol consumption has been associated with increased risk for sexual violence victimization and perpetration. Pregaming, a popular activity among college students that involves heavy and quick drinking prior to going out for the night and often results in high blood alcohol levels (BALs), may convey increased risk for sexual violence – potentially due to greater likelihood of contact with intoxicated perpetrators and significantly impaired victim ability to consent or resist. Yet no published work has evaluated whether there is increased risk for victimization on drinking days that involve pregaming. Using a sample of 390 college student drinkers who completed a past 30-day Timeline Followback, we examined heavy drinking behavior, estimated BALs, and experience of sexual violence victimization during 1,899 drinking days, of which 30% involved pregaming. After controlling for demographics, we found that participants drank approximately two more drinks and reached significantly higher BALs on drinking days where they pregamed as compared to drinking days where they did not pregame. Nearly 6% of drinking days that included pregaming involved sexual violence victimization, compared to about 2% of drinking days where pregaming did not occur. Participants were at 2.71 times the odds of experiencing sexual violence, primarily unwelcomed comments and nonconsensual sexual touching, during drinking days with pregaming. This study represents a first step toward greater understanding of the sexual violence and pregaming link, but future research assessing perpetrator behavior and context-specific factors (e.g., amount consumed by victims and perpetrators, location of sexual violent events and peers present) are needed.

Examining the Post-High School Effects of a Primary Prevention Program on Exposure to Bullying and Sexual Violence among Emerging Adults.

Emerging adulthood (EA) is a time of self-exploration as new opportunities for independence and autonomy arise. Yet, for some youth, this may also contribute to instability, uncertainty, and anxiety. Consequently, evidence suggests that rates of exposure to various forms of violence increase in EA. This study examined changes in experiences of bullying and sexual violence (SV) victimization among a sample of post-high school emerging adults who were exposed to a primary prevention program, Sources of Strength (Sources). We also examined whether Sources skills (e.g., healthy coping and help-seeking) buffer against these experiences. Participants were 102 emerging adults (73.5% identifying as female, 36.3% as Latinx, and 22.6% as LGBQ), who completed surveys at three time points: 1month prior to graduation and at 6- and 12-months post-graduation. Results suggest that as youth transition into emerging adulthood, experiences of bullying victimization were relatively low and slightly decreased whereas experiences of SV were also relatively low, but stable over time. Notably, bullying victimization was lower when female-identifying participants, relative to males, had higher levels of healthy coping. In addition, SV victimization for participants identifying as non-white was higher at lower levels of coping than those identifying as white; however, at higher levels of coping, non-white participants reported lower rates of SV victimization, while rates were relatively stable for white participants at high and low levels of coping. These findings provide some support for the Sources program model where engaging in healthy coping may protect young women from bullying exposure and buffer against SV victimization for racial and ethnic minoritized young adults. Implications for violence prevention are discussed.

Associations between perceived material deprivation, social support and violent victimization among Chinese children

BackgroundEvidence has consistently shown that poverty is associated with the violent victimization of children. Most studies have used family income as a predictor of child poverty. However, it is unclear how multidimensional material deprivation perceived by children is associated with their victimization experiences. ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the association between children's perceived material deprivation and self-reported violent victimization, as well as the role of perceived social support in mediating this relationship. Participants and settingThis cross-sectional school-based study included 445 children aged between 8 and 16 years living in Shenzhen, China. MethodsThe conventional crime module of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), the material deprivation index based on the Poverty and Social Exclusion in Hong Kong (PSEHK) project, and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) were employed to measure children's experiences of violent victimization, material deprivation, and perceived social support. ResultsThis study discovered that, when income and other factors were controlled for, children's perceived material deprivation was positively associated with self-reported violent victimization (β = 0.31, p < .01). However, the role played by material deprivation was undermined by high levels of perceived social support, demonstrating the full mediating relationship between perceived material deprivation and violent victimization. ConclusionThe findings of this study underline the importance of understanding and reducing children's perceived material deprivation in poverty alleviation and child victimization prevention. Social support is vital for children who perceive themselves as living in deprived circumstances.

Trajectories of violent victimization over the life course: Implications for mental and physical health.

Violent victimization experiences correspond to an array of negative consequences including poorer mental and physical health. Drawing on life course theories of stress proliferation and well-being, we use four waves of data from the Add Health study to identify pathways of violent victimization from adolescence through young adulthood using group-based trajectory modeling. We then assess the influence of victimization trajectory membership on a range of subsequent health outcomes including depression, PTSD, clinical and subclinical symptoms, and self-rated health. Our results show those with increasing experiences of victimization in young adulthood are at greatest risk for poor health outcomes. Notably, trajectories marked by violent victimization limited in adolescence are not associated with any indicators of poor health. Black individuals and males are at particular risk for membership in victimization trajectories with the greatest risk for future negative health outcomes. Our findings demonstrate that violent victimization occurs via heterogeneous patterns over the life course with significant consequences for well-being and broader health disparities among adults.

Associations Between Parental Monitoring and Multiple Types of Youth Violence Victimization: A Brief Report.

Youth violence victimization continues to be pervasive and a significant cause of adolescent mortality. Since their 2014 "Connecting the Dots" report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have encouraged researchers to identify shared protective factors that prevent multiple forms of youth violence. Parental monitoring, a bidirectional construct encompassing parental knowledge and regulation of their child's activities with children's concurrent perception of their parent's awareness of such activities, could be such a cross-cutting protective factor. In this study, we examined associations between parental monitoring and multiple types of violence victimization among a school-based sample of adolescents. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of an anonymous survey of health risk and protective behaviors completed by students across Pittsburgh Public Schools (N = 2,426). In separate analyses, we used logistic regression to examine associations between youth-reported parental monitoring and multiple experiences of youth violence victimization, ranging from school- and electronic-based bullying to different forms of sexual and physical violence. We found that many experiences of youth violence victimization were consistent with nationally representative data. In addition, we determined that higher parental monitoring was significantly and inversely associated with all violence victimization outcomes examined (school-based bullying, electronic-based bullying, threatening someone with a weapon, adolescent relationship abuse, sexual assault, and exchange sex) at the p < .05 threshold. Overall, this study is one of the first that examines how parental monitoring relates to multiple forms of youth violence victimization, including exchange sex, which is a critical but less-studied violence experience. This work adds to the growing literature on how parental monitoring may serve as a shared protective factor for multiple forms of violence victimization.

Centering Transgender Survivors' Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization: A Critique of Dominant Approaches to Research and Service Provision.

Transgender (trans) survivors are infrequently included in the intimate partner violence (IPV) literature, and they are rarely the central subjects of IPV research. Similarly, trans survivors are rarely at the center of IPV service provision. In this article we articulate the importance of centering trans survivors in IPV research and practice through developing a nuanced understanding of the unique manifestations of abuse for trans individuals. Using intersectionality (Collins, 2019; Crenshaw, 1989, 1991) as our theoretical framework, we discuss the manifestations of dominance in trans IPV research and service provision. Specifically, we explain how cissexism, binarism, trans misogyny, and dysphoria reify White supremacist cisheteropatriarchy in intimate relationships, research, and service provision. We argue the importance of researchers and service providers alike to recognize and detect identity abuse tactics as well and how they contribute to the unique barriers trans survivors encounter to access resources and their help-seeking behaviors. With a more nuanced understanding of the ways that White supremacist cisheteropatriarchy affect trans individuals' experiences of IPV, researchers and service providers will be better able to understand and respond to abuse tactics used against trans people.

Health Risk Behaviors, Experiences, and Conditions Among Students Attending Private and Public High Schools.

Approximately 8.8% of US high school students attended private schools in 2015. Few studies have characterized health risk behaviors among these students or compared prevalence of behaviors between students in private and public schools using a contemporary, nationally representative sample. Pooled 2007-2017 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey data were used to estimate the prevalence of 35 health risk behaviors for 89,848 public and private high school students. Unadjusted prevalence ratios were used to compare prevalence by school type. Differences in behaviors by school type were explored by sex and grade. Among private school students, the prevalence ranged from 5.0% to 31.9% for sexual risk behaviors; from 0.8% to 30.1% for substance use behaviors; from 0.7% to 21.8% for behaviors related mental health and suicide; from 3.2% to 6.8% for violence victimization experiences; and from 3.1% to 52.9% for behaviors related to unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Private school students were less likely than public school students to report most behaviors; differences by school type were generally consistent across sex and grade. Students in both public and private schools reported health risk behaviors. Findings might inform prevention activities by identifying behaviors to prioritize in each school setting.

The Influence of Media Violence on Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: An Examination of Inmates' Domestic Violence Convictions and Self-Reported Perpetration.

Research suggests that the representation of violence against women in the media has resulted in an increased acceptance of attitudes favoring domestic violence. While prior work has investigated the relationship between violent media exposure and violent crime, there has been little effort to empirically examine the relationship between specific forms of violent media exposure and the perpetration of intimate partner violence. Using data collected from a sample of 148 inmates, the current study seeks to help fill these gaps in the literature by examining the relationship between exposure to various forms of pleasurable violent media and the perpetration of intimate partner violence (i.e., conviction and self-reported). At the bivariate level, results indicate a significant positive relationship between exposure to pleasurable television violence and self-reported intimate partner abuse. However, this relationship is reduced to insignificant levels in multivariable modeling. Endorsement of domestic violence beliefs and victimization experience were found to be the strongest predictors of intimate partner violence perpetration. Potential policy implications based on findings are discussed within.

Substance use and deaths by suicide: A latent class analysis of the National Violent Death Reporting System

Substance use is strongly associated with suicide completions. However, little is known about the patterns of substances used in suicide deaths. The purpose of this analysis is to determine latent classes of toxicology-reported substances among individuals who completed suicide. The sample consists of suicide victims in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) during years 2003–2017 (n = 202,838). Toxicology reports were used to construct latent class analyses of substance use among suicide victims. Correlates for latent class membership included sex, race/ethnicity, previous experiences of child abuse, homelessness, and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. The majority of suicide victims were male (77.7%), straight/heterosexual (99.5%) and white (88.3%). The final unconditional model yielded a four-class model, including a “No substance/single substance use” class, an “Alcohol and other substance” class, a “Marijuana and other substance” class, and an “Opiate use” class. Compared to the reference class of “No substance/single substance,” females were more likely than males to be classified in the “Alcohol and other substance” class, the “Multi-substance use” class, and the “Opiate use” class. Homelessness was associated with classification in the “Marijuana and other substance” class and the “Opiate use” class compared to the “No substance/single substance” class. IPV was associated with both polysubstance use classes (“Alcohol plus other substance” and “Marijuana plus other substance”) along with the “Opiate use” class compared to the “No substance/single substance” class. These classes highlight profiles of suicide descendants and emphasize the importance of polysubstance use prevention among females, homeless individuals, and those who experience IPV.

111. Experiences of Violence Victimization Among an Online Recruited Sample of Sexually Active Adolescent Substance Users in Southern Metropolitan Areas

Violence is a serious public health issue with myriad short- and long-term impacts on development and health outcomes. Violence victimization can present as many typologies (e.g.., physical, psychological, sexual) and from different perpetrators (e.g., intimate partners, parents, peers). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and typologies of violence victimization among an online recruited sample of sexually active adolescent substance users in southern metropolitan areas.

The Effects that School Violence Victimization Experiences have on Cyber-bullying due to Defensive Peer Support

The Effects that School Violence Victimization Experiences have on Cyber-bullying due to Defensive Peer Support

대학생의 데이트 성폭력 가해 예측요인

Objectives: This study is a descriptive research study conducted to grasp the Prediction factors of the sexual violence experience of college students. Methods: A convenience sampling was performed for 500 students from one college located in Gyeongsangbuk-do, who agreed to the purpose of this study. Data collection was conducted from October 5, 2015, to October 23, 2015, by filling out the self-report questionnaire. Among the 450 subjects excluding those with missing values, a questionnaire of dating violence experience was applied to 317 college students who answered that they had a friend of the opposite sex, and variables and prediction factors related to dating violence experiences were identified. The statistical methods used were descriptive statistics, x2-test, t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and binary logistic regression analysis. Results: As a result of the study, the experience of sexual behavior before entering college (χ2=6.52, p=.011), experience of sexual violence damage before entering college(p=.045), the experience of sexual assault before entering college (p=.007) and experience of school violence damage(p=.002) were variables related to the sexual violence experience of college students. School violence victimization (OR=4.831, p=.007) and controlling dating partners (OR=1.349, p<.001) were predictors of dating sexual violence. Dating sexual violence experience group were compared to dating sexual violence non-experience group, the relative degree of controlling dating partners was high (t=4.25, p<.001) and had a traditional gender role attitude (t=2.94, p=.004). and there was a positive correlation (r=.358, p<.001) between controlling dating partners and gender role attitude. Conclusions: In order to prevent sexual violence on dating among college students, it is expected that more effective health education results will emerge if the contents of the school-age school violence victimization experience and the control of dating partners, which are predicted factors of sexual violence on dating, are included in the sexual violence prevention program.

Adolescent exposure to violence and intimate-partner violence mediated by mental distress

Adolescent exposure to violence (ETV) is associated with multiple negative health outcomes. Despite evidence linking adolescent ETV with later experiences of physical, sexual and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, more longitudinal evidence is needed, and potential explanatory mechanisms should be tested. We examine data collected over 17 years to analyze the mediating effects of mental distress and substance use on the association between cumulative ETV in adolescence and IPV in adulthood. Adolescent (Mages = 15–18 years) ETV was associated with IPV outcomes in adulthood (Mage = 32 years). In parallel mediation models, mental distress in emerging adulthood (Mages = 20–23 years) fully mediated the effect of adolescent ETV on later IPV outcomes. Although substance use predicted experience of IPV, it did not mediate the association between ETV and IPV. These findings have implications for understanding trajectories of risk following violence exposure and inform intervention work through identifying developmental periods where ETV contributes to later IPV victimization.

Sexual Victimization Among Men: A Qualitative Analysis of the Twitter Hashtag #UsToo.

The present study sought to characterize use of the hashtag #UsToo on Twitter to disclose or comment on men's experiences of sexual victimization. A sample of 281 original content, English-language tweets containing the hashtag were collected from Twitter over five consecutive weekdays. Thematic content analysis was conducted by a three-person coding team (full team consensus, achieving 100% agreement). Researchers categorized tweets as either a disclosure of victimization (N = 6) or a response to this hashtag (N = 275). When responding to the hashtag, users commented on the emotional impact of victimization, provided positive responses within the forum (i.e., advocacy, call to action, raising awareness, and prosocial reactions), and also engaged in negative responses within the forum (i.e., distracting attention away from the experiences of victims, egocentric responses which called attention to themselves or others, and otherwise harmful reactions). Despite the popularity of the #MeToo hashtag to disclose personal experiences of violence victimization, Twitter users were unlikely to utilize the hashtag #UsToo to disclose personal experiences of sexual victimization. Results highlight a divergence between online behavior in response to a call for men's disclosure of sexual victimization using the hashtag #UsToo versus online behavior in response to a call for women's disclosure of sexual victimization using the hashtag #MeToo.

The Effects of School Violence Victimization and Bullying Experiences on Cyberbullying and the Mediating Effect of Peer Conformity

The Effects of School Violence Victimization and Bullying Experiences on Cyberbullying and the Mediating Effect of Peer Conformity

Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health: Sex-Disaggregated Associations Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Uganda.

Experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization have well-established associations with poor mental health. There is also burgeoning evidence regarding the association between IPV perpetration and mental health in a small number of countries. However, there is a paucity of data about the gendered differences for these IPV experiences within sub-Saharan African. This study examines the association between IPV victimization, perpetration, and mental health outcomes for male and female adolescents and young adults in Uganda. Data on IPV perpetration were available for a nationally representative sample of 1,373 males and 2,022 females in Uganda. Observations were weighted to be representative of 13- to 24-year-olds in Uganda. Study procedures used multivariate logistic regression models to examine associations between ever-perpetration of IPV and four self-reported mental health variables: severe sadness, feelings of worthlessness, suicide ideation, and alcohol abuse. Models controlled for age, marital status, schooling, and past exposure to violence. Models were sex-disaggregated to examine sex-specific associations. Standard errors were adjusted for sampling stratification and clustering. Data analysis showed that males were more than twice as likely as females to perpetrate IPV (14% vs. 6%, respectively; p < .001), while odds of perpetration for both sexes were higher for those ever experiencing IPV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 12.12 for males; aOR=4.73 for females). Male perpetrators had 2.93 greater odds of experiencing suicidal ideation (95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.78, 4.82], p < .001) and increased drinking behaviors (2.21, 95% CI: [1.39, 3.50], p < .001) when compared with non-perpetrating males. In addition, female perpetrators had 2.59 times greater odds of suicidal ideation (95% CI: [1.34,4.99], p < .01), as compared with non-perpetrating females. Our findings among youth and adolescents demonstrated associated but different experiences for males and females. Findings indicate the importance of understanding the relationship between IPV victimization and perpetration, and addressing these correlates with a gender-sensitive perspective to inform policy and programming.