Victimization, Predictors of

Individual Demographic Predictors

Statistics reveal differences among interpersonal violence victims based upon individual predictors such as age, gender, and ethnicity. The National Crime Victim Survey (NCVS), conducted annually in the United States by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), reports that for the year 2004 approximately 54 of every 1,000 youths ages 12-24 and 22 of every 1,000 adults ages 25 and above were the victims of aggravated assault, suggesting that youth is a risk factor for assault victimization. Gender-based differences in crime victimization documented in the NCVS reveal that females were the victims of 99.5% of all sexual assaults reported in 2004. However, males are more likely to be victims of violent crime as a whole. In 2004, 56 out of every 1,000 males were the victims of violent crimes as compared to 39 of every 1,000 females. Thus, being male increases risk for victimization overall, with the exception of sexual assault victimization, which is almost exclusively associated with being female. With respect to ethnicity, 28 out of every 1,000 Blacks in the United States were victims of interpersonal violence in 2004 as opposed to 21 out every 1,000 Whites.

Developmental and Psychosocial Predictors

Early victimization and history of abuse, exposure to domestic violence, emotional distress, and psychological problems are among the developmental and psychosocial predictors of victimization. The most well-documented predictor of interpersonal violence victimization is childhood victimization. When children are maltreated early in life, they are also at greater risk for suffering from emotional distress and other psychosocial disorders that further increase the risk of victimization. For example, a 20-year prospective study showed that children who were exposed to domestic violence between parents were also at high risk for victimization of any type of interpersonal violence later in life. It appears that early violence exposure, either through direct maltreatment or indirectly through observation of family violence, is a significant risk factor for subsequent victimization. The effects of early violence exposure on subsequent interpersonal violence victimization may also be linked to corresponding emotional distress and psychological maladjustment.

...