Citation

Finkelhor SD, Ormrod RK, Turner HA. Child Abuse Negl. 2007; 31(1): 7-26.

Affiliation

Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, 126 Horton Social Science Center, Durham, NH 03824, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.06.008

PMID

17224181

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of multiple victimization, or what is termed in this article "poly-victimization," in explaining trauma symptomatology. METHOD: In a nationally representative sample of 2,030 children ages 2-17, assessment was made of the past year's victimization experiences and recent trauma symptoms. RESULTS: Children experiencing four or more different kinds of victimization in a single year (poly-victims) comprised 22% of the sample. Poly-victimization was highly predictive of trauma symptoms, and when taken into account, greatly reduced or eliminated the association between individual victimizations (e.g., sexual abuse) and symptomatology. Poly-victims were also more symptomatic than children with only repeated episodes of the same kind of victimization. CONCLUSION: Researchers and practitioners need to assess for a broader range of victimizations, and avoid studies and assessments organized around a single form of victimization.

Language: en