Trajectories Of Victimization Research Articles

Childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, borderline personality feature, suicidal risk in adolescents: Direct and indirect associations among developmental trajectories.

Childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, and borderline personality traits have all been shown to be linked to suicidal risk. However, there remains a need to illuminate the possible direct and indirect pathways among them from a developmental perspective that could serve as intervention targets. This study thus aimed to investigate the direct and indirect relationships among developmental trajectories of childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, borderline personality feature, and suicidal risk in adolescents. A total of 1648 Chinese adolescents (48.12% boys; Mage = 13.69; SD = 0.82) in junior middle schools completed self-report measures on three-time points across 1 year. Latent growth curve modeling was used to evaluate the direct and indirect relationships among the developmental trajectories of the aforementioned study variables. The developmental trajectories of childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, and borderline personality feature were positively and directly related to the developmental trajectory of suicidal risk; and the developmental trajectories of childhood maltreatment, peer victimization were indirectly related to the developmental trajectory of suicidal risk through the mediating effect of the developmental trajectory of borderline personality feature. The findings elucidated the direct and indirect longitudinal relationships among childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, borderline personality feature, and suicidal risk, highlighting that interventions should target childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, and borderline personality feature to decrease suicidal risk in adolescents with a developmental perspective.

Trajectories of peer victimization among left-behind children in rural China: The role of positive school climate.

Left-behind children are likely to experience peer victimization, which can have detrimental consequences in their developmental outcomes. Yet, limited longitudinal research have examined peer victimization trajectories over time or the factors associated with left-behind children in China. The purpose of the present study was to examine what, if any, distinct trajectories of peer victimization exist among left-behind children and whether these trajectories are related to school climate, left-behind status, and their interactions. Participants were 853 Chinese left-behind children (Mage = 14.25, SD = 2.39; 43.4% girls) who participated in a four-wave longitudinal study conducted in rural China. Participants reported school climate (indexed by safety and order, acceptance and support, equality and fairness, autonomy and cooperation) at T1 and peer victimization across T1 to T4 spanning 2 years. Latent class growth analyses identified four peer victimization trajectories, including a stably low-decreasing group, a moderate-decreasing group, a high-decreasing group, and an increasing group. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that children who perceived more positive school climate were more likely to exhibit a stably low-decreasing trajectory compared to the other three groups. In addition, among left-behind children who perceived more positive school climate, children with single-parent migrating were more likely to be members of the stably low-decreasing group as compared to those with both-parent migrating. Peer victimization among left-behind children is a concern especially for those who were left behind by both parents and perceived less positive school climate. Targeted school-based interventions and services focused on reducing peer victimization and improving school climate are needed for left-behind children, especially those with both-parent migrating.

Concurrent and longitudinal associations of developmental language disorder with peer victimization in adolescence: evidence from a co-twin study.

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) experience higher levels of peer victimization than their peers. However, it is not known if such associations reflect genetic and environmental confounding. We used a co-twin control design to investigate the association of language difficulties (DLD and separately poor pragmatic language) with peer victimization and compare the developmental trajectories of peer victimization across adolescence for those with and without language difficulties. Participants were 3,400 pairs of twins in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), a UK-based population birth cohort. Language abilities were assessed via online tests at age 11 and peer victimization was self-reported at ages 11, 14 and 16. Language difficulties were defined as language abilities at least -1.25 SD below the mean of the TEDS sample. We performed linear regressions and latent growth curve modeling at a population level and within monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twin pairs. At population level, youth with DLD experienced higher levels of peer victimization at ages 11 (β = 0.27, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.20-0.35), 14 (β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.27) and 16 (β = 0.17, 95% CI 0.03-0.32) and a sharper decline in peer victimization between ages 11 and 16 compared to their peers without DLD. The associations between DLD and peer victimization were reduced in strength and not statistically significant in within-twin models. Moreover, there was no difference in the rate of change in peer victimization between twin pairs discordant for DLD. Results were similar for the association of poor pragmatic language with peer victimization. Associations between language difficulties (DLD and separately, poor pragmatic language) and peer victimization were confounded by genetic and shared environmental factors. Identifying specific factors underlying these associations is important for guiding future work to reduce peer victimization among adolescents with language difficulties.

Peer Victimization Trajectory and Psychosocial Maladjustment in Early Taiwanese Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study.

This study examined the peer victimization trajectory and maladjustment outcomes among early Taiwanese adolescents. Data were extracted from a large-scale longitudinal study with a national representative sample. A total of 1691 school students in 4th, 6th, and 8th grade were analyzed. Using latent profile analysis, students were classified into four trajectories, chronic victims, late onset victims, desisters, and non-victims, based on their self-reported physical and verbal victimization at three time points. Maladjustment, including psychological distress, reduced school attachment, internet addiction, and suicidal ideation in 8th grade, were assessed. The results showed significant differences in adjustment among students in the four trajectories. Chronic victims had the poorest outcomes on most variables, followed by late onset victims and desisters, while non-victims had the least maladjustment. The findings highlight the need for future interventions that would consider students' victim status over time and pay particular attention to those who suffer constant bullying and abuse.

Adverse childhood experience trajectories and individual high risk-behaviors of sexual offenders: A developmental victimology perspective

BackgroundDevelopmental victimology theory suggests that developmental features of risk and impact stemming from various types of victimization depend on the age of the child or adolescent. ObjectiveA next step is studying the developmental victimization trajectories of individuals involved in sexual crimes by focusing on traumatic events occurring during childhood and adolescence respectively. Building on the developmental victimology perspective, the study's specific aims encompass two key objectives: 1) exploring the diverse trajectories of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) within a sample of individuals involved in sexual crimes, and 2) assessing whether these ACEs trajectories influence the emergence of distinct high-risk behaviors. Participants and setting252 individuals convicted of sexual crimes were selected from a federal penitentiary in Quebec, Canada. MethodsSemi-structured interviews with a computerized questionnaire produced data on numerous aspects of the participant's life history, criminal career, and victimization experiences that were analyzed via latent class modeling. ResultsFour classes (no ACEs trajectory, poly exposure and victimization trajectory, childhood exposure trajectory, and poly victimization trajectory) were identified. ConclusionsConsistent with hypotheses, developmental ACEs trajectories are heterogeneous and associated with the criminal careers, adolescent problematic behaviors, substance use disorders, and violence history among individuals involved in sexual offending.

다문화 청소년의 집단괴롭힘 피해 발달궤적과 그 영향요인에 관한 연구

다문화 청소년의 집단괴롭힘 피해 발달궤적과 그 영향요인에 관한 연구

Peer victimization trajectories and their relationships with depressive symptoms and externalizing problems: Risk enhancement or risk susceptibility

Peer victimization trajectories and their relationships with depressive symptoms and externalizing problems: Risk enhancement or risk susceptibility

County trajectories of pyramid scheme victimization.

Community-level vulnerability to pyramid scheme fraud may be affected by place-based sources of strain and opportunity. Using national victim data from a pyramid scheme fraud case from 2000–2013, this research explores pyramid scheme adoption with group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM). GBTM is used to look for distinct trajectories of pyramid scheme join rates and to explore the effect of strain, as measured by a county’s Social Vulnerability Index and unemployment rate, and opportunity or protection, as measured by a series of social capital variables, on the group trajectories. Findings suggest that county-level strain, including the county’s Social Vulnerability Index and unemployment rate are related to pyramid scheme victimization, especially early adoption. We also find that social capital variables – which can, in theory, reduce strain or increase opportunity – have a nuanced relationship with fraud victimization. While our findings are drawn from a single pyramid scheme, they point to the potential to analyze case data to inform preventative and monitoring strategies appropriate to local-level characteristics.

Partner violence surrounding divorce: A record-linkage study of wives and their husbands.

This study analyzes the victimization trajectories of partner violence against women surrounding divorce, depending on whether the couple has children together. Prior studies have found that partner violence is associated with an increased risk of divorce. No study has assessed the victimization trajectories surrounding divorce for women with and without children, although women with children may remain at higher risk of violence following divorce. Using Finnish record-linkage data of 22,468 divorced and 333,542 continuously married women and their husbands, we used repeated-measures logistic regression analyses to assess changes in victimization for partner violence before and after divorce. The outcomes considered were police-reported crimes committed by husbands against their wives and hospital-treated assault injuries recorded for wives. The risk of crime victimization for partner assault was already elevated from 2 to 3 years before divorce, peaked in the year prior to divorce, and then mainly leveled off 1-2 years after divorce. Hospital data show that the time of the greatest risk was from 6 to 12 months before divorce, when divorce is usually filed for. Women with younger children experienced elevated risks of physical violence shortly before divorce and remained at higher risk of menace than women without children for a year after divorce. Divorcing women committed assaults against their husbands, but these were mostly accompanied by victimization, suggesting that resistant violence was common for women as perpetrators. Women with a history of victimization need support, especially at the starts of their divorce processes.

Explaining the Patterns of Bullying Victimization Trajectories: Assessing the Generality of Low Self-Control and Crime Opportunity Models to Bullying Victims.

This study hypothesizes that self-control and opportunity variables affect heterogeneity in developmental trajectories of bullying victimization. Using data from a follow-up study of 2,351 Korean adolescents, the study incorporates a latent class growth analysis approach to identify subgroups, each with a unique pattern of the trajectories. The model yields three subgroups of bullying victims: the early-onset and decreaser, the increaser and late-peak, and the normative groups. Results suggest that, compared to the normative group, the early-onset and decreasing group members manifest lower levels of self-control and engage in a greater range of delinquent behaviors. Also, the impact of low self-control on group membership was attenuated after controlling for those opportunity variables, indicating a partially mediating relationship. Social guardianship variables distinguished normative groups from other victim groups. Further, members of the increaser and late-peak group were more likely than the early-onset and decreaser group members to engage in cyber deviance over the long-term.

Chronic, increasing, and decreasing peer victimization trajectories and the development of externalizing and internalizing problems in middle childhood.

Children's peer victimization trajectories and their longitudinal associations with externalizing and internalizing problems were investigated from Grades 2 to 5. Secondary data analysis was performed with the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K-2011; n = 13,860, M age = 8.1 years old in the spring of Grade 2; 51.1% male, 46.7% White, 13.2% African-American, 25.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, and 6.1% other or biracial). Children who experienced high and persistent levels of peer victimization (high-chronic victims) exhibited co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems. Moreover, among high-chronic victims, boys had a more pronounced increase in their externalizing trajectories, and girls had greater increases in their social anxiety trajectories. In contrast, those with decreasing peer victimization across time exhibited signs of recovery, particularly with respect to their social anxiety. These findings elucidated how chronic, increasing, and decreasing victims exhibited distinct patterns in the co-occurring development of their externalizing and internalizing problems, and how findings varied depending on the form of problem behavior and by child sex.

Intersectional differences in serious violent victimization trajectories across the life course

There is substantial research regarding how individual demographic factors like race, gender, and class influence violent victimization risk, holding significant implications for short and long-term health outcomes. However, there remains limited insight into how intersectional identities shape victimization trajectories over time. This study draws on five waves of Add Health data to analyze how trajectories of violent victimization differ at the intersection of race/ethnicity and sex from adolescence through middle adulthood in the United States. We estimate longitudinal trajectories among six distinct groups using semi-parametric group-based trajectory models (GBTM). We find that Black men have the highest levels of violent victimization with the lowest likelihood of evading victimization. Black women experience especially high rates of chronic victimization that decreases over time, whereas persistent, low-level victimization is a unique classification among White women. Hispanic women are more likely to experience persistent, low-rate victimization compared to White and Black women. There are significant disparities in violent victimization across the life course among intersectional groups with the greatest burden falling on Black men and women. Future researchers should consider the long-term consequences of victimization trajectories through an intersectional lens.

Co-Occurrence of Violence on the Severity of Abuse in Intimate Relationships.

Several empirical studies have shown that women who experience violence in intimate personal relationships (IPV) commonly experience more than one form of violence. While it is recognized that individual trajectories of IPV vary over time, little is known about the temporal dynamics of this co-occurrence or its consequences. This study describes the different forms of violence experienced by women and looks at whether it is possible to predict when severe violence (physical and sexual) is most likely to occur. Data in the study comes from interviews with 70 women who had been victims of intimate partner violence. The life history calendar method was used to facilitate identifying kinds and levels of violence and the month in which violence took place. Individual victimization trajectories were found to be heterogenous and likely to change in the short term. The women in our sample experienced more than one form of intimate partner violence and co-occurrence of different forms of violence was common in individual trajectories. The characteristics of the kind of violence experienced were important in understanding the temporal aspects of acts of severe violence. The increased knowledge about patterns of violence provided by these results should help to develop better ways to intervene to prevent such events.

Teacher Victimization Patterns Establishing a Group-Based Trajectory Approach to Assessing Predictors of Connectedness to School, Job Satisfaction, and Depression

ABSTRACT Though extant research has contributed substantially to our understanding of teacher victimization, no attempt has been made to investigate whether there are distinctive patterns of victimization trajectories among teachers and trajectory subgroups are different on their job satisfaction, connectedness to school, and emotional distress. To address this limitation, the present research, using a longitudinal panel sample of middle and high school teachers in a metropolitan area in Texas, investigates the existence of distinctive patterns of teacher victimization trajectories and the relationship between those trajectories and their adverse effects. The findings demonstrate that a substantial proportion of teachers are continuously victimized and teachers who experience persistent victimization (mid/high stable victimized groups) are at elevated risk of disconnectedness to school, job dissatisfaction, and emotional distress.

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.

Trajectory Classes of Relational and Physical Bullying Victimization: Links with Peer and Teacher-Student Relationships and Social-Emotional Outcomes

Bullying victimization is a prevalent problem in upper elementary school that predicts various detrimental outcomes. Increasing evidence suggests that interindividual differences in the severity of these outcomes result from differences in victimization experiences. However, longitudinal research largely overlooked victimization forms. Additionally, it is unclear how the quality of students' relationships with peers and teachers functions as a risk or protective factor for different patterns of victimization development. This one-year longitudinal study investigated joint trajectories of relational and physical victimization and examined differences between these trajectory classes regarding classroom social relationships as possible antecedents and social-emotional well-being as a possible outcome. A sample of 930 fourth to sixth graders (55 classes, 53.1% girls, Mage = 10.55, SD = 0.90) completed self-reports about relational and physical victimization and social-emotional outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms, self-esteem). Peer nominations were used to measure the social antecedents (i.e., peer rejection and acceptance, teacher-student closeness and conflict). A 3-step approach including Latent Class Growth Analyses and Growth Mixture Modeling yielded two trajectory classes. Most students experienced low, decreasing relational and physical victimization. A smaller group experienced higher, generally stable victimization, more relational than physical. Younger students and girls were more likely to be members of the latter class. This class was more rejected, less accepted, reported more depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. Teacher-student closeness and conflict were similar across classes. The current study showed that relational and physical victimization followed a largely parallel development. Low social status was found to be a risk factor for belonging to a victimization trajectory that is characterized by stable levels of both relational and physical victimization, with higher levels of the relational form.

Interactive effects of coping strategies and emotion dysregulation on risk for peer victimization

The aim of the current longitudinal study was to examine the interactive effects of six common coping strategies (i.e., adult support seeking, friend support seeking, problem solving, humor, passive coping, and cognitive distancing) and emotion (i.e., anger and sadness) dysregulation on concurrent levels and subsequent trajectories of peer victimization over a 2-year period. Participants were 287 predominantly Caucasian students (53.7% boys; ages 6–9) from an elementary school located in the Midwestern United States. Self-reported coping strategies and emotion dysregulation were assessed at baseline; children also provided ratings of peer victimization annually over a 2-year period. Results indicated that the effectiveness of particular coping strategies may depend on children's overt, undercontrolled displays of anger and sadness. Consistent with recent recommendations, these findings suggest that some youth may require interventions that focus on both enhancing emotion regulation skills and teaching strategies for responding to peer victimization in a more adaptive manner.

Early co-occurrence of peer victimization and aggression.

An accelerated longitudinal research design was used to examine heterogeneity in the developmental co-occurrence of peer relational victimization and aggression and of peer overt victimization and aggression from age 4.5 to 10.5 years. Data were gathered from four cohorts of children in kindergarten to Grade 3 (N = 503) on six occasions across 2 years. Psychopathology, peer, and social-cognitive factors were examined as predictors of the joint trajectories. Sequential process latent growth mixture models identified four distinct subgroups for the relational trajectories (co-occurring increasing aggression, co-occurring increasing victimization, high chronic victimization, typical low risk) and four distinct subgroups for the overt trajectories (co-occurring decelerating aggression, high chronic victimization, moderate chronic victimization, typical low risk). Membership in the co-occurring trajectories was associated with psychopathology and membership in the chronic victimization trajectories was related to internalizing and social-cognitive problems but also peer likeability.

Influences of target congruence and lifestyles on victimization trajectories: An Autoregressive Latent Trajectory Modeling approach to overlap between bullying and victimization

IntroductionRelative to the general victimization literature, a small body of literature has examined the longitudinal process of overlap between bullying perpetration and bullying victimization. To address this gap, this study assesses the dynamic process of bullying perpetration and victimization from a developmental perspective and examine the applicability of target congruence and lifestyle-routine activities approach. MethodsUsing data from 2,378 Korean youths collected from 2012 to 2016, the current study has conducted a Parallel Process Latent Growth Curve Modeling (PPLGCM) analysis to examine co-development and sequentially contingent processes of bullying and victimization, and Autoregressive Latent Trajectory Modeling (ALTM) to examine the time-lagged effect of bullying on victimization. ResultsResults from the PPLGCM revealed a significant and positive relationship between the initial levels of bullying and victimization as well as a reciprocal and cumulative influence over time. The ALTM analysis indicated that increased victimization in the previous year was associated with increased victimization in the following year. Further, time-concurrent and time-lagged effects of bullying on victimization were significant and positive. Finally, target congruence and risky lifestyle variables predicted the longitudinal process of victimization, indicating the cross-cultural generalizability of the theory. ConclusionsThe findings offer support for a complex and dynamic relationship between bullying and victimization, and thus call for developmentally sensitive prevention strategies.

Trajectories of victimization to violence among incarcerated women

IntroductionLimited research has focused on the trajectories of victimization to violence in women’s lives. Furthermore, literature assessing women’s use of violence has primarily focused on adult risk factors (e.g., substance use and criminal histories). Drawing from the pathway’s framework, we explored the impact of multiple forms of childhood victimization and subsequent harmful behaviors on adult-perpetrated violence among women convicted of violent or serious crimes.MethodsThis secondary data analysis included a sample of 1118 incarcerated women from two prisons. Based on prior literature outlining the lifelong negative impact of childhood victimization, we hypothesized that cumulatively, occurrence of abuses, arrest as a minor, number of lifetime arrests, and poly-substance use prior to incarceration, would increase the likelihood of perpetration of multiple forms of violence. GEE regression models were used to examine the relationship between the predictors and adult perpetration of intimidation and physical violence.ResultsExperiences with childhood victimization, early (under age 18) and ongoing criminal justice involvement, and substance use significantly increased the likelihood of adult perpetration of violence, regardless of the type of violence measured (intimidation or physical violence).ConclusionGiven the documented high prevalence of childhood trauma and abuse among justice-involved women, findings from this study can be used to promote the implementation of trauma-specific treatment for at-risk juvenile girls, whose trajectories of violence might be mitigated.