Open access

Evaluating the Frequency, Co-occurrence, and Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Multiple Victimization

Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
3 November 2014

Abstract

The current study was designed to contribute to our growing understanding of childhood multiple victimization (i.e., exposure to more than one type of victimization), which has been found to be the reality among most victimized children. Caregivers of school-aged children (N = 213) completed an online and anonymous questionnaire that assessed the victimization experiences (lifetime) and psychosocial functioning of their child, as well as collecting information on a number of socio-demographic factors. Results provide support for the ubiquitous nature of childhood multiple victimization (86.9%), as well as the common cooccurrence of lifetime victimization experiences (Mexposure= 6.58). Findings highlight the important association between victimization exposure and psychosocial functioning (e.g., anxiety, depression, aggression, posttraumatic stress). The practical and theoretical implications for the prevention of childhood victimization are also discussed.

Résumé

Cette étude porte sur la victimisation multiple (c.-à-d., exposition à plus d'un type de victimisation), qui est une expérience courante chez les enfants avec un historique de victimisation. Les parents d'enfants d’âge scolaire (N = 213) ont rempli dans l'anonymat un questionnaire sur internet, évaluant les expériences de victimisation et le fonctionnement psychologique de leurs enfants. Les résultats démontrent la présence courante de la victimisation multiple (86,9%) ainsi que la cooccurrence entre les différentes expériences de victimisation (Mexposition = 6,58). Les résultats démontrent aussi l'association importante entre la victimisation et le fonctionnement psychologique (ex.: anxiété, dépression, agression, stress posttraumatique). Les conséquences théoriques et pratiques pour la prévention de la victimisation en enfance sont discutées.

Formats available

You can view the full content in the following formats:

References

Boney-McCoy S. and Finkelhor D. Is youth victimization related to trauma symptoms and depression after controlling for prior symptoms and family relationship? A longitudinal prospective study Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1996 64 1406 -1416
Briere, J. (2005). Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSC YC). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Briere J., Johnson K., Bissada A., Damon L., Crouch J., Gil E., Hanson R., and Ernst V. The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSC YC): Reliability and association with abuse exposure in a multi-site study Child Abuse & Neglect 2001 25 1001 -1014
Cicchetti D. and Lynch M. Toward an ecological/transactional model of community violence and child maltreatment: Consequences for children's development Psychiatry 1993 56 96 -118 Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/61368433?accountid=14701
Cyr K., Chamberland C., Clément M.-È., Lessard G., Wemmers J., Collin-Vezina D., Gagner M.-H., and Damant D. Polyvictimization and victimization of children and youth: Results from a populational survey Child Abuse & Neglect 2013 37 814 -20
Cyr K., Chamberland C., Lessard G., Clément M.-È., Wemmers J., Collin-Vezina D., Gagner M.-H., and Damant D. Polyvictimization in a child welfare sample of children and youths Psychology of Violence 2012 2 385 -400
Cyr K., Clément M.-È., and Chamberland C. Lifetime prevalence of multiple victimizations and its impact on children's mental health Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2013 29 616 -634
Finkelhor, D. (2009). Childhood victimization: Violence, crime and abuse in the lives of young people. New York: Oxford University Press.
Finkelhor D. and Dziuba-Leatherman J. Victimization prevention programs: A national survey of children's exposure and reactions Child Abuse & Neglect 1995 19 129 -139
Finkelhor D., Hamby S., Ormrod R., and Turner H. A. The juvenile victimization questionnaire: Reliability, validity, and national norms Child Abuse & Neglect 2005 29 383 -412
Finkelhor, D. & Hashima, P. (2001). The victimization of children & youth: A comprehensive overview. In S. O. White (Ed.), Law and Social Science Perspectives on Youth and Justice. (pp. 49–78). New York: Plenum.
Finkelhor D., Ormrod R. K., and Turner H. A. Polyvictimization and trauma in a national longitudinal cohort Development and Psychopathology 2007a 19 149 -166
Finkelhor D., Ormrod R. K., and Turner H. A. Re-victimization patterns in a national longitudinal sample of children and youth Child Abuse & Neglect 2007b 31 479 -502
Finkelhor D., Ormrod R. K., and Turner H. A. Poly-victimization: A neglected component in child victimization Child Abuse & Neglect 2007c 31 7 -26
Finkelhor D., Ormrod R. K., and Turner H. A. Lifetime assessment of poly-victimization in a national sample of children and youth Child Abuse & Neglect 2009 33 403 -11
Finkelhor D., Ormrod R. K., Turner H. A., and Hamby S. L. The victimization of children and youth: A comprehensive, national survey Child Maltreatment 2005 10 5 -25
Finkelhor D., Ormrod R. K., Turner H. A., and Holt M. Pathways to poly-victimization Child Maltreatment 2009 14 316 -29
Finkelhor, D., Turner, H. A., Hamby, S. L., & Ormrod, R. K. (2011). Polyvictimization: Children's exposure to multiple types of violence, crimes and abuse. Office of Justice Program: Juvenile Justice Bulletin, no. 235504, 1–12.
Finkelhor D., Turner H. A., Ormrod R., and Hamby S. Violence, abuse and crime exposure in a national sample of children and youth Pediatrics 2009 124 1411 -1422
Gannon, M., & Mihorean, K. (2005). Criminal victimization in Canada, 2004. Catalogue no. 85-002. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Gosling S. D., Vazire S., Srivastava S., and John O. P. Should we trust Web-based studies? A comparative analysis of six preconceptions about Internet questionnaires American Psychologist 2004 59 93 -104
Grych J. H. and Swan S. C. Toward a more comprehensive understanding of interpersonal violence: Introduction to the special issue on interconnections among different types of violence Psychology of Violence 2012 2 105 -110
Gustafsson P. E., Nilsson D., and Svedin C. G. Polytraumatization and psychological symptoms in children and adolescents European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2009 18 274 -283
Hamby, S. L., Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., & Turner, H. (2005). The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ): Administration and scoring manual. Durham, NH: Crimes Against Children Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/jvq/CV55newedition04.pdf
Hamby, S., & Grych, J. M. (2013). The web of violence: Exploring connections among different forms of interpersonal violence and abuse. New York: Springer.
Holt M. K., Finkelhor D., and Kantor G. K. Multiple victimization experiences of urban elementary school students: Associations with psychosocial functioning and academic performance Child Abuse & Neglect 2007 31 503 -515
Hooven C., Nurius P. S., Logan-Greene P., and Thompson E. A. Childhood violence exposure: Cumulative and specific effects on adult mental health Journal of Family Violence 2012 27 511 -522
Mrug S., Loosier P. S., and Windle M. Violence exposure across multiple contexts: Individual and joint effects on adjustment American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 2008 78 70 -84
Nishina A. and Juvonen J. Daily reports of witnessing and experiencing peer harassment in middle school Child Development 2005 76 435 -450
Romano E., Babchishin L. K., Marquis R., and Fréchette S. Childhood maltreatment and educational outcomes Trauma, Violence & Abuse 2014 in press
Saunders B. E. Understanding children exposed to violence: Toward an integration of overlapping fields Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2003 18 356 -376
Statistics Canada. (2012a). Income and earning highlights. Statistics Canada catalogue no. 97-563-XWE2006002. Retrieved from: http://www.livingin-canada.com/compare-canadian-cities.html
Statistics Canada. (2012b). Faits saillants en tableaux Familles et ménages, Recensement de 2011. Statistique Canada catalogue no. 98-312-XWF2011002. Retrieved from: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dppd/hlt-fst/fam/index-fra.cfm?Lang=F
Statistics Canada. (2013). 2011 National Household Survey highlights: Factsheet 2. Office of Economic Policy: Labour and Demographics Analysis Branch. Retrieved from:http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/demographics/census/nhshi11-2.pdf
Stevens T., Ruggerio K., Kilpatrick D., Resnick H., and Saunders B. Variables differentiating singly and multiply victimized youth: Results from the National Survey of Adolescents and implications for secondary prevention Child Maltreatment 2005 10 211 -223
Turner H. A., Finkelhor D., and Ormrod R. Poly-Victimization in a national sample of children and youth American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2010 38 323 -330
Turner H. A., Finkelhor D., Ormrod R., Hamby S., Leeb R. T., Mercy J. A., and Holt M. Family context, victimization and child trauma symptoms: Variations in safe, stable and nurturing relationships during early and middle childhood American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 2012 82 209 -219
Widom C. S., Raphael K. G., and DuMont K. A. The case for prospective longitudinal studies in child maltreatment research: Commentary on Dube, Williamson, Thompson, Felitti, and Anda (2004) Child Abuse & Neglect 2004 28 715 -722

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 33Number 2December 2014
Pages: 47 - 65

History

Version of record online: 3 November 2014

Key Words

  1. childhood victimization
  2. co-occurrences
  3. preventative programs

Mots-clés

  1. victimisation en enfance
  2. cooccurrence
  3. programmes de prévention

Authors

Affiliations

Lyzon K. Babchishin
Elisa Romano

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Other Metrics

Citations

Cite As

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

There are no citations for this item

View Options

View options

PDF

View PDF

Login options

Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Subscribe

Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health

Purchase options

Purchase this article to get full access to it.

Restore your content access

Enter your email address to restore your content access:

Note: This functionality works only for purchases done as a guest. If you already have an account, log in to access the content to which you are entitled.

Media

Media

Other

Tables

Share Options

Share

Share the article link

Share on social media