NCJ Number
210309
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 17 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2002 Pages: 1323-1340
Date Published
December 2005
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether adolescents who had experienced one of four types of adverse experiences performed poorly in school, engaged in binge drinking, or experienced feelings of sadness or depression at higher rates than comparison peers.
Abstract
The maltreatment of children and adolescents is a widespread and serious social problem that has serious outcomes for victims. The goal of the current research was to examine the consequences of four types of abuse experienced by adolescents: (1) physical abuse; (2) sexual abuse; (3) witnessing the physical abuse of another; and (4) being harassed by peers at school. In particular, the authors explored whether experiencing any of the four adverse experiences had deleterious consequences for adolescents in terms of school performance, drinking behavior, and symptoms of depression. The analysis focused on whether each type of adverse experience was related to the three outcomes when the other types of adverse experiences were controlled. Participants were 17,465 undergraduate students recruited through a passive consent process; participants completed a survey probing the 3 outcome and 4 predictor measures. Results of statistical analyses indicated that binge drinking, feelings of depression, and poor performance in school were associated with the experience of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and the witnessing of the physical abuse of another among both males and females. Harassment in school by peers was associated only with feelings of depression. Future research should focus on how the severity of adverse experiences during adolescence influences developmental outcomes. Tables, references