Victimisation, poly-victimisation and health-related quality of life among high school students in Vietnam: A cross-sectional survey
Date
2016
Journal Title
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Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
Abstract
: In high and upper-middle income countries poly-victimisation (exposure to multiple forms of
victimisation) is associated with worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adolescents. There is a lack of
empirical evidence about these associations from low- and lower-middle income countries. The aims of this study
were to examine the associations between exposure to 1) individual forms of victimisation and 2) poly-victimisation
and the HRQoL of adolescents in Vietnam.
Method: A cross-sectional, anonymously-completed survey of high school students in Hanoi, Vietnam. Lifetime
exposure to eight individual forms of victimisation and poly-victimisation were assessed using the Juvenile
Victimisation Questionnaire Revised-2 (JVQ R2). Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Duke Health
Profile Adolescent Version (DHP-A). Bi-variate analyses and multiple linear regressions were conducted to assess the
associations between individual forms of victimisation, poly-victimisation and HRQoL among girls and boys.
Results: In total 1616/1745 students (92.6 %) completed the questionnaire. Adolescent girls had significantly worse
HRQoL than boys in all domains, except disability. Different forms of victimisation were associated with different
HRQoL domains among girls and boys. Cyber victimisation was the most detrimental to girls’ HRQoL while for boys
maltreatment was the most detrimental. Experiences of poly-victimisation were associated with worse HRQoL in
physical, mental, social and general health, lower levels of self-esteem and increased levels of anxiety, depression
and pain domains among both sexes.
Conclusions: Among Vietnamese adolescents, experiences of individual forms of victimisation were associated with
poorer HRQoL in specific domains; the most detrimental forms of victimisation varied for girls and boys. However,
it was experiences of poly-victimisation that had the most detrimental impacts on the HRQoL of both sexes.
Recognition of violence, including poly-victimisation, is still low in Vietnam. These data indicate that community
education, prevention and early intervention programs to reduce violent victimisat
Description
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Keywords
poly-victimization, child abuse, health otucomes, research, Vietnam, International Resources
Citation
Le, M. T. H., Holton, S., Nguyen, H. T., Wolfe, R., & Fisher, J. (2016). Victimisation, poly-victimisation and health-related quality of life among high school students in Vietnam: A cross-sectional survey. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 14, 155.