Child maltreatment, sexual and peer victimization experiences among adolescents in residential care

Most adolescents in residential care have been through severe forms of victimization within their household. However, it is frequent to experience multiple forms of violence, and peer victimization is one of the most prevalent during adolescence. Trauma caused by interpersonal violence can have dama...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Indias, Sílvia, Arruabarrena, Ignacia, Paúl Ochotorena, Joaquín de
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2019
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Pública de Navarra
Repository:Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
OAI Identifier:oai:academica-e.unavarra.es:2454/53785
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2454/53785
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Child maltreatment
Adolescents
Residential care
Peer victimization
Sexual victimization
Description
Summary:Most adolescents in residential care have been through severe forms of victimization within their household. However, it is frequent to experience multiple forms of violence, and peer victimization is one of the most prevalent during adolescence. Trauma caused by interpersonal violence can have damaging effects on children and adolescents' health and psychosocial wellbeing. The present study aimed to measure lifetime prevalence and frequency rates of child physical and emotional abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and several types of sexual and peer victimization among adolescents in residential care. Additionally, victimization across contexts and effects of gender, age and immigrant status of the family (local vs. immigrant) were analyzed. Participants were 107 adolescents in Spanish residential care, aged 12–17 (Mage = 15.16 years). Data was collected using thirteen items of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire self-report. Results indicate that over 75% of adolescents have suffered victimization by peers and siblings, over 65% have suffered child maltreatment, over 50% have witnessed family violence, and over 40% have suffered sexual victimization. Gender and immigrant status correlates show females and immigrant-family females reported higher prevalence of sexual victimization than their counterparts, and that immigrant-family adolescents reported higher rates of physical abuse, domestic violence, and peer assaults. Remarkably, few age effects were found. Moderate associations were found between child maltreatment, and peer and sibling and sexual victimization.