Polyvictimization in Developmental Context

Date

2011

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma

Abstract

Description

There is a lengthy literature on child maltreatment and trauma, much of it focused on specific categories of victimization such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, or bullying. However, many children experience several of these different victimizations (Saunders, 2003). For one thing, the sheer frequency of victimizations in childhood suggests that some of these victimizations should overlap (Nishina & Juvonen, 2005). In addition, most victimizations seem to have common correlates, like family instability or neighborhood disorder. The clustering of victimizations among some high-risk individuals is a well-established finding in victimology (Outlaw, Ruback, & Britt, 2002; Saunders, 2003). Using an instrument designed to assess a much more comprehensive range of childhood victimizations, the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), our research has shown that exposure to multiple forms of victimization is actually the norm for victimized children even over as short a period as a single year (Finkelhor, Ormrod, & Turner, 2007a). Half of a national sample of youth ages 2 17 experienced two or more different kinds of victimization in a single year, and among victims, the median number of victimizations was three.

Keywords

Abuse-sexual, Bullying, Child abuse, Violence -- exposure, polyvictimization

Citation

DOI