Age-Graded Consequences of Victimization

• NCJ Number: 249103
• Author(s): Jillian J. Turanovic
• Date Published: May 2015
• Length: 294 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-IJ-CX-0006
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored)

Annotation

This report presents the methodology and findings of a study that examined whether the consequences of violent victimization vary by victim age (adolescence, early adulthood, and adulthood) and whether the existence and strength of victims' social ties are linked to variations in victimization consequences within age groups.

Abstract

The study found a wide variety of adverse outcomes associated with victimization in adolescence, and victimization is linked to increasingly fewer of these outcomes as people experience victimization in emerging adulthood and into adulthood. A suggested explanation of this finding is that coping skills in addressing adverse events develop with age. Still, although the problems linked to violent victimization become fewer in number over the life course, they continue to be serious. Regarding the influence of social ties on victimization consequences across age groups, the study found that social ties were important in buffering the harms of victimization in adolescence and adulthood, but not so much in emerging adulthood. This may be because young adulthood involves a period in which new relationships are being formed and social ties of adolescence are weakened. Data for the study were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, Waves I (1994-1995), III (2001-2002), and IV (2008-2009). On average, respondents are 15 years old at Wave I, 22 years old at Wave III, and 29 years old at Wave IV. Multivariate regression models were used to assess the effects of violent victimization on the various behavioral, social, psychological, and health-related outcomes at each wave of data. Extensive tables and approximately 600 references