Childhood Victimization, Poly-Victimization, and Adjustment to College in Women

• NCJ Number: 228655
• Journal: Child Maltreatment Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 330-343
• Author(s): Ann N. Elliott; Apryl A. Alexander; Thomas W. Pierce; Jeffery E. Aspelmeier; Jessica M. Richmond
• Date Published: November 2009
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the effects of childhood victimization and poly-victimization on women's adjustment to college.

Abstract

Women in the study reported high rates of childhood victimization, with approximately 98 percent reporting exposure to at least one category of victimization (proper crime, physical assault, peer or sibling abuse, child maltreatment, witness or indirect victimization, sexual victimization). These results are consistent with the growing body of literature suggesting that individuals who have experienced one category of childhood victimization are likely to have experienced other categories as well. Future studies assessing childhood maltreatment, poly-victimization, and adjustment to college are needed to replicate these findings and extend them to a more diverse sample of participants. Utilizing a sample of 329 traditional college-aged female undergraduates aged 18 to 24 years, this study examined the relationships among poly-victimization, 6 categories of childhood victimization, and college adjustment in females. Tables and references