NCJ Number
219765
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: 2007 Pages: 318-333
Date Published
2007
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study explored the impact of child maltreatment and victimization during adolescence on subsequent violent behavior during young adulthood among a nonclinical, high-risk sample.
Abstract
Results indicated that the experience of childhood maltreatment doubled the risk for violent victimization during adolescence. Moreover, repeated experiences of victimization during adolescence increased the risk for subsequent violent behavior during young adulthood. This finding was true for both officially reported violence and self-reported violence. On the other hand, the results revealed that repeated victimization throughout the early life cycle actually slightly reduced the chances of being a frequent offender. Although the results are preliminary, they underscore the importance of focusing on the early prevention of violence. Prevention should address both family violence and violence within the school context. Future research should extend the outcomes of child maltreatment and victimization beyond delinquency in order to measure mental health outcomes. Participants were 1,526 youth between the ages of 14 and 24 who were recruited from 5 youth prisons in northern Germany. Participants completed at least two interviews regarding their use of violence and violence exposure, victimization, child maltreatment, early aggressiveness, substance abuse, and demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using multinomial and binary logistic regression models. Tables, figures, note, references