Trajectories of Victimization From Early To Mid-Adolescence

• NCJ Number: 233377
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2011 Pages: 85-104
• Author(s): Christopher J. Sullivan; Pamela Wilcox; Graham C. Ousey
• Date Published: January 2011
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA-11317
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study investigated the victimization trajectories of large sample of adolescents observed across a 4-year period.

Abstract

A rapidly growing body of criminological research focuses on longitudinal trajectories of offending, with the aim of exploring stability and change in antisocial behavior. A particularly intriguing debate within this area involves the issue of whether there are multiple classes of offenders defined by distinct longitudinal patterns of offending. Parallel research on criminal victimization, however, is lacking, with few studies exploring potential variation in individual trajectories of victimization. The current analysis uses data from a panel of nearly 4,000 adolescents observed across a 4-year period to address this question. The authors examined whether there are distinct classes of victimization trajectories across this time period. The analysis revealed four groups. Descriptive analyses for key correlates of victimization were then conducted to explore their potential correspondence with those of the observed victimization classes. The findings have implications for theory and empirical research regarding between-individual differences and intraindividual change in victimization. Figures, table, notes, and references (Published Abstract)