Juvenile Victimization Research Articles

Victimization by Caregivers: Prevalence and Risk Factors in Chilean Children and Adolescents

This study examined the prevalence and risk factors associated to victimization by caregivers in a national large sample of Chilean children and adolescents. 19,687 children and adolescents aged 12–17, selected by random probability sampling of 699 public schools in Chile who were surveyed by trained interviewers. Victimization by Caregivers was evaluated through a module of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ). The prevalence (12 months) for physical abuse were (12.9%), for emotional abuse (27.9%), neglect (5.3%) and parental interference (3.5%). The results suggest as risk factors, sex, age, migration status, disability, geographical location, and type of school. The findings highlight the urgent need to address the issue of child maltreatment and victimization by caregivers in Chilean society and minimize its impact.

Dissociation as a Mediator of Traumatic Childhood Experiences and Ideas of Reference

ABSTRACT Ideas of reference (IR) – self-attributions about what happens in the social environment are a frequent phenomenon present in a wide variety of people with mental health disorders as well as in the nonclinical population. The purpose of this study was to find out the relationship between traumatic childhood experiences, IR and dissociative states in the nonclinical population, emphasizing the potential mediating role of dissociation between traumatic experiences and IR. The sample was comprised of 337 participants from the general population (58.8% women) with a mean age of 33.20 years (SD = 14.08). They filled in the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II) and the Referential thinking Scale (REF). The results supported the original hypotheses and showed that the participants with higher frequency of IR reported more childhood traumatic (χ2 (2) = 64.33, p < .001, f = .39, 1- β = .99) and dissociative experiences (χ 2 (2) = 50,414, p < .001, f = .38, 1- β = .99), and that dissociative states (β = .12, p < .05; 95%CI [.07, .19]; c´ = .26, p < .001), specifically absorption (β = .09, p < .05; 95% CI [.03, .15]; c´ = .26, p < .001), mediated between traumatic childhood experiences and referential thinking. It was concluded that the relationship between traumatic experiences and IR is complex and may be mediated by variables such as dissociation.

Compassion Fatigue among Criminology & Criminal Justice Interns

Much research has been conducted on compassion fatigue among criminal justice system professionals, particularly those working with victims of crime. These professionals often receive training on how to deal with the day-to-day stressors of their jobs and how to engage in self-care to avoid compassion fatigue. However, when it comes to interns in the criminal justice field, little attention has been paid to how these students handle the stress of working with crime victims. The current research attempts to explore how student interns working with adult and juvenile victims experience stress in their internship roles and how they deal with that stress.

Age-related no-go P300 amplitudes are moderated by exposure to early-life stress

Deficits in inhibitory control are common with advancing age and may underlie declines in other complex cognitive functions. The inhibitory P300 event-related potential (ERP) generally decreases in amplitude with age, reflecting deficits in inhibitory performance evaluation and adaptation, with possible generators including precentral and inferior frontal gyri and midcingulate and parietal cortex. Exposure to early-life stress (ELS) is also associated with deficits in inhibitory control, smaller P300 amplitudes, and dysfunction in regions associated with P300 generation. Although biopsychosocial effects of ELS are evident in older adulthood, the influence of ELS on neural processes in later life is unknown. In the current study, 13 young adults and 21 healthy older adults completed a high-accuracy go/no-go task and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), an indicator of ELS. Regression analyses revealed significant central-parietal models, with smaller P300 amplitudes predicted by both older age and greater exposure to ELS. Age group*ELS interactions moderated P300 prediction at central and centro-parietal electrodes, such that older age predicted smaller P300 amplitudes only in those with lower to moderate ELS. Amplitudes did not significantly differ by age in those with higher ELS. Post-hoc within-age group correlations showed that greater ELS was associated with smaller P300 amplitudes in young adults. However, greater ELS was modestly associated with larger central amplitudes in older adults, potentially suggestive of anterior age-related compensatory recruitment to maintain high task performance. These findings suggest long-lasting neural implications of ELS that interact with normative neuro-cognitive aging processes, such that ELS may be an important risk factor for age-related cognitive decline.

Gender Differences in Cumulative Abuse, Bystander Intervention and Long‐Term Effects on Health and Intimate Partner Violence

AbstractThis study examines gender differences in cumulative abuse, measured by the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, bystander intervention outcomes and survivors' long‐term health, using student survey data from seven universities (N = 4080). By conducting chi‐squared tests, t‐tests and regression analyses, the results show that more female students reported higher cumulative abuse than male students. Survivors of cumulative abuse reported higher intimate partner violence (IPV) victimisation. Female survivors reported poorer mental health, while male survivors were more involved in alcohol and drug use. Most survivors remembered the bystander presence at the incident of abuse as neither helpful nor harmful, which was not significantly different by gender. Findings suggest that campus service providers need to tailor services considering the gendered effects of cumulative abuse on IPV and its long‐term health ramifications to enhance the effectiveness of services for college students.

Psychosocial factors of risk and protection associated with juvenile cyberbullying victimization: results from an international multi-city study (International Self-Report Delinquency Study 3, ISRD3)

The growing use of technologies makes it easy for children and young people to access or produce offensive content, giving rise to a new form of bullying: cyberbullying. Several individual and environmental protection and risk factors are involved with cyberbullying victimization. The present study aims to provide some empirical data that can help in understanding cyberbullying and in the formulation of programmes for its prevention. For this purpose, the data of the ISRD3 (International Self-Report Delinquency Study 3) survey were used. Data show that, for strategies of prevention and intervention to be effective, they should consider multiple systems, such as the family, peers, school and community.

Peculiarities of behavior of juvenile victims of violent incest

The article considers the peculiarities of the behavior of juvenile victims of violent incest. It is indicated that the following features should be taken into account when studying the typology of victims of violent incest: 1) biological and psychological features and types of victims; 2) circumstances that preceded / contributed to the commission of the violent act; 3) the behavior of the victim at the time of the act of violence and after it. Establishing these features will provide an opportunity to more fully and correctly classify juvenile victims of violent incest. The author points out that in the general sense, the types of juvenile victims of sexual crimes do not differ sharply from the general public. At the same time, the typology of such persons is somewhat narrowed due to the frequent dominance of certain features that provoke the criminal offender to commit an illegal act. For example, if a person seeks to commit theft or robbery / robbery, the victim often plays a secondary role, as circumstances that contribute to the offense come to the fore (dark time of day, absence of outsiders, etc.). In the case of violent incest or any other socially dangerous act of a sexual nature, the language focuses on the victim as the "object of desire." That is why the criminal offender usually pays attention to two aspects: the biological characteristics of the victim and the psychological characteristics (behavioral reactions). A study of statistics and jurisprudence concluded that in most cases this type of criminal offense is committed against juveniles who have an attractive appearance and passive behavior (do not make excessive efforts to protect and prevent incest). Attention is drawn to the fact that the provocation of violent incest is inherent in older minors and is due to the desire to prove to their loved ones their adulthood, sexuality and readiness for sexual intercourse. Often such victims seek to feel wanted, but do not understand the real threat of experiencing illegal sexual influence, especially from a close relative.

Victimization and Polyvictimization in Children and Adolescents in a Violent City at Northern Border of Mexico

ABSTRACT The study of violence toward minors from the perspective of polyvictimization is essential because of the established cumulative effect of violence in its various forms. The general objective of this study is to present data on child and adolescent polyvictimization in a sample of adolescents in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In this quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted between March 2019 and February 2020, the sample consisted of 874 secondary and high school students aged 12–17 years (406 boys, 465 girls) from three public schools. A Spanish version of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire was used to assess victimization and polyvictimization. Of the participants, 88.3% had experienced some form of victimization over their lifetime and 67.5% had had such experiences during the last year. The most frequent form of victimization was through conventional crimes, reported by 78.6% over the lifetime and 50.6% in the last year. Among victims, 32.4% and 18.4% had experienced polyvictimization over their lifetime and in the previous year, respectively. The most severely polyvictimized participants had experienced 14+ victimizations over the lifetime and 10+ in the last year. Polyvictims were at a higher risk than those who had not experienced polyvictimization with regard to all forms of victimization. These results could serve as a basis for intervention programs in public and private institutions that serve Mexican children and adolescents.

Formation of scientific opinion on juvenile victim

The article considers the process of formation of scientific thought about juvenile victimhood. It is indicated that the study of theoretical achievements in the field of general and juvenile victimology from its inception (within criminology) to the present day, allows to classify the latter into three groups according to the subject: 1) the phenomenon of juvenile victimization, victimization and victim behavior values, determination, background phenomena); 2) the person of a minor victim of criminal wrongful encroachment (definition, structure, classification, typology and psychology); 3) victimological prevention (general characteristics, forms and methods, foreign and international experience). Particular attention is paid to the fact that both in the first, still basic criminological research, and in modern works, these three groups are unchanged (except for some, minor deviations in the subject and general approaches of the scientists themselves). It is noted that the first scientific research within the sciences of the criminal law cycle was devoted exclusively to the criminal offender, due to the belief of scientists that only he is the root cause of socially dangerous acts. The study of the identity of the subject of the offense was reduced to the search for physiological defects (features) that force a person to break the law. It is concluded that currently in Ukraine there is an active scientific work to study the peculiarities of victim behavior of both adults and minors.&#x0D; The first mention of victims of crime is remarkable in the works of Cesare Lombroso. However, the first criminologist to introduce the concept of «victimology» was the Romanian researcher B. Mendelssohn, who in 1975 in his monograph «General Victimology» proposed the victimological concept of «clinical» or «practical» victimology. Victim behavior of minors began to interest the scientific community in the postwar period, in the late twentieth century. In Ukrainian science, juvenile victims and the peculiarities of their behavior are found, mostly, within scientific articles.

Victimization of Sexual Minority Latinx Youth: Results From a National Survey.

Limited previous research has explored the intersectional stress and trauma sexual minority (SM) Latinx youth experience generated by being part of at least two minoritized groups. The Dating Violence among Latino Adolescents (DAVILA) study employed a national sample of Latinx youth and queried a range of victimizations in the past year, via a bilingual phone survey. Of the 1525 12-18-year-old youth interviewed for DAVILA, 123 either identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual or had at least one same-sex dating partner. Measures included the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, the Conflict Tactics Scale Short Form, Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Rates of dating violence, psychological dating violence, sexual victimization, and polyvictimization were significantly higher among sexual minority (SM) youth, compared to heterosexual (HET) youth. Victimized SM youth had significantly more depression, anxiety, and hostility than victimized HET youth. Sexual minority youth also reported less social support from family and significant others. A sequential regression showed psychosocial factors of mental health functioning and social support were associated with the number of victimizations above and beyond demographic factors, including SM status. Together these results underscore that SM youth experience greater adverse outcomes than HET youth. However, it is not SM status that directly relates to victimization, but the negative effects of psychological distress and low social support, that account for the higher number of victimizations of SM Latinx youth. These factors are closely linked to the stigmatization that SM youth face. As such efforts to destigmatize SM identities are needed to address the health and safety of SM Latinx youth.

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.

Juvenile victimization's features and ways of it's prevention

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the victimhood of minors in the mechanism of criminal behavior.&#x0D; The aim of the article is to study the main features of victimhood of minors and identify ways to prevent it. The authors propose their own classification of sources of increased victimhood of minors. Particular attention is paid to the identification of determinants that contribute to the victimization of minors. Analysis of juvenile victimhood and its components allowed the authors to reveal the characteristics of the juvenile's personality, identify factors and conditions that catalyze this process, and socially justified measures to be developed and taken for victimological prevention of juvenile involvement in illegal activities. Examining the consequences of domestic violence against minors, the authors noted that they are closely related to many adverse health effects that affect the functioning of the brain and nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and urogenital system, immune and endocrine functions. The propensity for violence in childhood is also closely linked to further risky behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse and smoking. Juvenile victims of violence are also at increased risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behavior.&#x0D; For society, domestic violence is manifested in the loss of human lives as a result of murders and suicides of minors, as well as the emergence of persons with mental and physical disabilities, low social status and deviant behavior. It should also be emphasized that a child can be both a direct and indirect victim (witness of violence) and at the same time face serious negative consequences that affect the emotional and cognitive well-being of the individual at each stage of development.

Genesis of criminal protection of the rights of minors in Ukraine

The article examines the genesis of criminal protection of the rights of minors in Ukraine. It is pointed out that for a long time most issues were decided by the church. Given that children were not yet considered full members of society, a person who committed a criminal offense against them was subject to ecclesiastical punishment, not criminal. That is, in the days of Kievan Rus, the legislator already recognized minors as full-fledged subjects of social relations, and also allowed them to be considered victims of socially dangerous acts, but full protection of rights and freedoms was not provided. Attention is drawn to the fact that the first years of the twentieth century can be called stagnant for juvenile justice. The attention of the legislator regularly changed depending on the direction of state policy development. Revolutions, wars, the search for new ways to build the country by leaders with a partially totalitarian nature of government led to the establishment of a single value - property, the interests of the state in the representation of its ruling elite. That is why the attitude towards juvenile victims has changed regularly. It is concluded that the XXI century has defined man, his rights and freedoms as the highest value, which should be protected, first of all, from those acts that have increased social danger. Criminal law, evolving over the centuries, due to its multicomponent nature has become the basis for the development of criminology, which distinguished itself from victimology. This thesis suggests that criminal law and, consequently, criminal law, gives impetus to the development of auxiliary sciences necessary for the successful implementation of its tasks: prevention (both deterrence of offenders and deterrence of victims of victim behavior) and punishment in order to re-educate the offender and protect the state and society in the person of the victim from subsequent possible socially dangerous encroachments). Thus, to date, criminal law is not only "about and for" the criminal offender, but also for the victim.

BASIC PRINCIPLES AND GENERAL CONDITIONS OF PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES ON CRIMES COMMITTED BY MINORS AND AGAINST MINORS

Taking into account the amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation of 2020 on the priority of childhood (part 4 of article 67.1), the article formulates proposals to introduce into the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation provisions on the basic principles and general conditions of proceedings in criminal cases of crimes committed by minors and against minors. To develop this novelty of the law, we propose to expand the possibilities of providing qualified legal assistance to minor victims - to provide such an opportunity for all minors under the age of 18 who became victims of serious and especially serious crimes, as well as for all minors under the age of 16, who became victims as a result of committing crimes of any gravity; the presence of such a right to a minor and his legal representative must be explained by the investigator, the head of the investigative body, the prosecutor, the court. Only such an approach will help ensure the real priority of the rights of juvenile victims in criminal proceedings.

Квалификация преступления, связанного с вовлечением несовершеннолетнего в совершение антиобщественных действий, по объективным признакам

The article focuses on the objective side of crimes related to the involvement of minors in antisocial activities. The social danger of such crimes is associated with the possible formation of antisocial habits and inclinations in juvenile victims, which creates conditions for both denying generally accepted social rules and using destructive and harmful substances, which may lead to committing crimes in the future. Involvement includes only active actions through manipulating the mind of minors and arousing their desire to consume alcoholic beverages, alcohol-containing products, and intoxicating substances, or lead an antisocial lifestyle, including vagrancy and begging. Methods of involvement are determined in an open list in Article 151 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which necessities its clarifying and limiting.

Independent and Cumulative Effects of Recent Maltreatment on Suicidal Ideation and Thoughts of Self-harm in a National Sample of Youth

PurposeThis study examines the impact of several forms of past-year maltreatment on thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation and considers how these effects may vary by gender. MethodsAnalyses are based on telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 6,364 youth aged 10–17 years, from three waves (2008, 2011, and 2014) of the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. Suicidal and self-harm ideation were measured with items from the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children. Emotional maltreatment, physical maltreatment, neglect, and witnessing family violence were measured using items from the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. ResultsOver 8% of the sample reported suicidal and/or self-harm ideation in the past month, with females more likely to report these outcomes than males. Youth who experienced recent emotional maltreatment, neglect, or witnessing family violence were more likely to report suicidal or self-harm ideation, independent of the other maltreatment types, presence of an internalizing disorder, and demographics. A dose-response relationship between the number of types of maltreatments and these outcomes was also evident. Finally, females were more negatively affected by emotional abuse and by experiencing two forms of past-year maltreatment than their male counterparts. ConclusionsEmotional abuse was the type of maltreatment most strongly related to thoughts of self-harm and/or suicidal ideation and was particularly detrimental to females in this sample. Given the especially damaging effects of exposure to multiple forms of maltreatment, our research highlights the importance of including comprehensive maltreatment assessment in youth suicide and self-harm prevention efforts.

Child and Adolescent Multiple Victimization and/or Polyvictimization: A Portuguese Comparative Study

Worldwide, children and adolescents are exposed to violence every day and in countless contexts, whether in the family, at school, or in the community. Child multiple victimization has been the subject of extensive international research because of the impact on child and youth development. A quantitative and comparative study aiming to understand child multiple victimization and/or polyvictimization from the perspective of children is presented. Two groups were studied, with and without psychological counselling, with 20 children each, aged 12–18 years old. All the participants answered to juvenile victimization questionnaire (JVQ). The study was approved by the University Ethics Committee responsible for the study in Portugal, and it was initiated after the obtained consent of the children’s legal guardians. The results indicated that young people frequently experience violent situations, with particular emphasis on conventional crimes, e.g., theft, robbery, vandalism, and assault with or without a weapon, with sexual victimization being less common. The results also show that there is a cumulative experience of violence, which evidences multiple victimization and polyvictimization of the child/adolescent throughout their life. These phenomena are not necessarily more common between populations with clinical follow-up. When the types of violence were compared, multiple victimization and polyvictimization, this study found no differences between the samples with and without psychological counselling. It can be concluded that the multiple victimization or polyvictimization problem is not unusual among the population in the studied age range. It is important to alert to the phenomenon of child/adolescent multiple victimization, aiming at a more effective assessment and intervention among these populations. Raising awareness of the phenomenon of multiple child and youth victimization or polyvictimization is of particular importance for preventing violence at all stages of development.

Transformation of Criminal Proceedings against Minors in Contemporary Russian Criminal Procedure: Towards the Twentieth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation

Introduction. In the Russian criminal process, criminal proceedings against minors have historically taken shape as a complicated procedure. Twenty years of operation of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation have shown sufficient efficiency of legal regulation of criminal procedural relations having to do with the investigation and consideration of this category of criminal cases. But in the process of law enforcement, a number of problems were identified that required resolution through the adjustment of the current criminal procedure law. This article is devoted to the analysis of the most significant changes in the normative regulation of criminal proceedings against minors during the period of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. A critical understanding of the process of transformation of the relevant norms will contribute to the development of an updated regulatory model of criminal justice involving minors. Theoretical Basis. Methods. The theoretical basis of the study consisted of both Russian and foreign scientific works in the field of criminal procedural law, specifically those devoted to both complicated proceedings in general and the specifics of juvenile criminal proceedings. The use of a formal legal research method allowed us to identify patterns in the transformation of criminal proceedings against minors. Results. The article reveals the most significant transformations of the normative regulation of criminal proceedings against minors. Some changes and additions made to the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation during the period of its validity are analysed. Further, he main directions for further scientific discussion on the legal regulation of criminal procedure relations with the participation of minors are outlined. Discussion and Conclusion. Although criminal proceedings against minors show sufficient efficiency and compliance with international law, there is a need to systematise the criminal procedural norms governing the participation in criminal proceedings of all minors, regardless of their procedural status. The authors propose, within the framework of the updated criminal procedure law, to systematically consolidate the norms governing the legal status of not only the underage defendants, but also the juvenile victims and witnesses.

Ethnic Disparities and the Psychological Trauma of Maltreated Children: Evidence from Three Multi-ethnic Counties in China

This study aims to discuss the effect of ethnicity on child maltreatment trauma in China and to contribute to international knowledge on the quality of life of children. The data come from a survey of 1763 rural children (Mage = 12.34, 50.0% boys) in three multi-ethnic counties in western China that was conducted from November 2019 to January 2020 with the modified versions of the “Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire” Scale. There are three important findings of this study. First, child maltreatment is significantly related to child depression in China. The depression score and rate of severe depression symptoms (SDS) are 2.09 times and 3.82 times higher, respectively, for maltreated children than children without maltreatment. Second, the effects of maltreatment on child depression differ significantly among the ethnic groups. The negative effect of maltreatment is most influential among the Han population and least influential among the Zhuang population. Third, ethnic disparities are also found in the effects of the influencing factors on child depression. The effect of intergenerational relationships on child depression is significant only in the Han and Tibetan populations, while the negative effect of peer support is found only among Han, Tibetan, and Miao children. Based on the confirmation of ethnic disparities in trauma due to maltreatment, this study suggests that it is necessary to establish a high-quality psychological intervention system in China’s multi-ethnic counties.

Victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model

BackgroundVictimization as an inducing factor of depressive symptoms has been confirmed in previous studies. However, little is known about how and when it induces depressive symptoms in adolescents. MethodsIn total, 1174 Chinese adolescents were recruited to complete the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, Security Questionnaire, Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. ResultsAfter controlling for gender and school type, the sense of security partially mediated the association between victimization and depressive symptoms. Moreover, direct association and the mediating effect of the sense of security were moderated by psychological capital. The moderating effect occurred in the second half of the mediating effect. LimitationsCausal conclusions cannot be drawn based on cross-sectional research design. All measures were based on participant self-report. ConclusionsThe mediating model constructed in this study emphasized the important influence of stress, emotion, and psychological diathesis on adolescent depressive symptoms.