Polyvictimization across contexts has been found to be associated with negativepsychological adjustment among adolescents. This study aimed to explore the differences inpsychological adjustment outcomes amongst adolescents who experience victimization andpolyvictimization in a single context. Another aim was to investigate the possible moderatingeffect of peer support on psychological adjustment outcomes. Cross-sectional data from theYouth and Sports Project was used, with a sample of 675 Swedish adolescents in 7th grade(Mage= 13.1). Through cluster analysis, separate groups of adolescents were identified basedon their victimization experiences. Two of these groups were classified as experiencingpolyvictimization. The main findings showed that polyvictimized youth reported higherlevels of depressive symptoms and school stress, as well as lower levels of self-esteem andpsychological well-being, compared to non-victimized youth and those experiencing oneform of victimization. The results also showed that polyvictimized youth did not benefit frompeer support in relation to the psychological adjustment variables, compared to nonvictimizedyouth and those experiencing one form of victimization. This suggests thatpolyvictimization in a single context is associated with negative psychological adjustmentwhich is not buffered by peer support.

The factor structure of the newly created Enacted Defending Scale (EDS) was investigated to better understand what strategies of defending children and adolescents enact to defend their peers from peer victimization. This investigation resulted in a 5-factor model, representative of assertive, overt aggressive, relationally aggressive, and two non-confrontational strategies of defending, telling an adult and comforting the victim. Aggressive forms of defending could be differentiated; whether the defending strategy was enacted in response to overt or relational victimization could not be differentiated. In general, aggressive strategies were associated with dependent variables indicative of poorer adjustment, while assertive and non-confrontational strategies were either related to positive dependent variables or unrelated to the psychosocial adjustment outcomes. Only one of the associations varied by age. The results suggest, first, that attention must be given to multiple forms of defending and that not all defending of peer victimization may have a prosocial effect, and second, that there is a need to carefully consider the potential consequences of defending for defenders themselves.

The school environment is one of the most critical developmental contexts for adolescents, as it informs both academic and occupational trajectories during the first 20 years of life (Russell & McGuire 2008). Given that LGBT youth may experience more negative academic outcomes than the general population (Kosciw 2010), there is a need to better understand the support needs of sexual minority young people. This research project aims to enhance our understanding of school climate for LGBT students and their heterosexual allies by examining how victimization may mediate the relationship between school connections and academic outcomes as well as how social support may moderate the relationship between victimization and academic outcomes. The study uses data from the Preventing School Harassment (PSH) survey, which included 2,559 middle and high school students in the state of California. The data was collected in 2003, 2004, and 2005 from school GSAs. Results illustrate that verbal victimization-direct and indirect- were significant mediators for LGBT students, whereas physical victimization and LGBT specific victimization was a significant mediator for both LGBT and straight populations. For both populations, the link between victimization and both outcomes was stronger aspirations than GPA. It was only for straight students for whom direct verbal and physical victimization was associated with GPA. For the moderation analyzes, the results show that esteem support and emotional support are the strongest buffers between victimization and academics for LGBT students. For straight students, the findings are more varied. Esteem, emotional, and informational support are a useful buffer for each kind of victimization--LGBT victimization, verbal, and physical. However, none of the social support dimensions buffered the negative effect for direct verbal victimization.

Prostitucija skirtinguose šaltiniuose yra traktuojama įvairiai. Vieni rašo, kad tai mainai, vykstantys tarp teikiančio seksualines paslaugas ir perkančio. Prostitucija yra neatsiejama nuo vyraujančios ekonominės situacijos valstybėje. Moterys į šią veiklą įtraukiamos įvairiais būdais ir dėl įvairių priežasčių. Vieni autoriai rašo, kad moterys nori gauti materialinės naudos ir dėl šių priežasčių parduoda savo kūną, tačiau yra ir kiti, kurie moteris prostitucijoje traktuoja kaip aukas. Visuomenė turi įvairią nuomonę šiuo klausimu, tačiau ką mano pačios moterys prostitucijos aukos, koks buvo jų gyvenimas, kaip ir dėl kokių priežasčių jos pateko į prostituciją. Todėl šio darbo tikslas yra atskleisti patekimo į prostituciją veiksnius, remiantis moterų biografiniais pasakojimais, ir nustatyti potencialius pagalbos būdus. Siekiant atskleisti moterų ir merginų patekimo į prostituciją veiksnius, buvo pasirinktas kokybinių duomenų rinkimo metodas – rašytinių gyvenimo istorijų analizė. Gyvenimo istorijos leido plačiau pažvelgti į prostitucijos aukų išgyvenimus, atskleidė net tik individualias patirtis, bet leido suprasti, kad kiekvienoje individualioje patirtyje slypi ir kolektyvinė patirtis. Tyrimo metu buvo išanalizuotos 15 moterų, prostitucijos aukų, gyvenimo istorijos. Moterų amžius nuo 16 iki 35 metų. Pasirinkta naratyvo strategija, leido giliau pažvelgti į tai, ką moterys išgyvena ir kaip jos tai nusako; kaip jos pačios supranta savo gyvenimą ir kaip interpretuodamos jį išreiškia... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Different sources treat prostitution differently. Some of them write that this is an interchange between the person who gives sexual service and the one who buys it. Prostitution is closely connected with the prevailing economical situation in a state. Women are involved into this activity in different ways and for different reasons. Some authors write that women want to get some financial benefit and for this reason they sell their bodies. Whereas, others think that women are victims of prostitution. Society have different opinion of that question, thus, it is interesting to find out what women, the victims of prostitution, think about their former life, why they have got into such situation. Therefore, the aim of this work is to reveal the factors why women get into prostitution on reference to women's biographical stories and determine the ways of help. Seeking to reveal the factors, why women get into prostitution, the method of qualitative collection of data was chosen - the analyses of written life stories. The life stories enabled to glance at the experience of prostitution victims and revealed not only personal experience but also enabled understanding that each personal experience also hides corporate experience. Life stories of 15 women, prostitution victims, were analysed during the survey. Women are from 16 to 35 years old. The chosen strategy of narrative enabled to deeper look at women's feelings and the way they express them, how they understand their life and... [to full text]

High prevalence rates and negative outcomes of peer-based aggression and victimization during early adolescence underscore the need to identify causes and consequences of these outcomes. Limited research has examined the impact of environmental and contextual factors, such as school climate, on peer aggression and victimization. Few studies have addressed relations between school climate and specific subtypes of physical and relational aggression and victimization. Although school climate has been assessed via interpersonal subsystems (i.e., student-student and student-teacher relationships), little research has incorporated the role of student awareness and reporting of violence and safety concerns. Further, studies are needed that consider the bi-directional relations between school climate and peer aggression and victimization over time. To address these limitations, the current longitudinal study examined associations between school climate (i.e., student-student and student-teacher relationships and awareness/reporting) and peer aggression and victimization over six months among a sample of 265 middle school students.

Peer victimization is prevalent among school-aged youth and is associated with difficulties including decreased academic and social competence. Although relations between victimization and academic and social competence have been examined, fewer studies have considered how underlying processes linking these constructs are related or whether relations differ for adolescent subgroups. The current study’s purpose was to examine potential mediating and moderating effects in associations between physical and relational victimization and academic and social competence. Participants included a predominantly African American sample of 271 adolescents participating in a longitudinal violence prevention project. Path models showed significant negative associations between teacher-rated physical victimization and academic and social competence, between student-rated relational victimization and academic competence and teacher-rated relational victimization and social competence. Only learning disability status in the teacher-rated victimization model moderated relations between victimization and competence. No mediating effects were found. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

According to the transactional theory of stress and coping, threat appraisals influence coping and adjustment. Previous research has shown that threat appraisals mediate relations between violence exposure and adjustment, but few studies have examined links between threat appraisals and coping. The current study examined relations between violence exposure, threat appraisals, and coping among typologies of victimized adolescents. The sample included 159 predominately African American adolescents (M = 12.1). Path analyses were used to test whether threats of negative evaluation by self and others mediated relations between violence exposure and avoidance and positive reframing coping, respectively. Results did not indicate mediation or differential relations between study constructs for victim typologies. Significant direct effects were found between violence exposure and negative self-evaluation and positive reframing, such that greater violence exposure was associated with a greater likelihood of self-blaming and positive reframing. These findings have implications for youth violence prevention and intervention efforts.

Peer victimization has been shown to negatively impact youth functioning and may be especially damaging during adolescence, given the increased importance of peers. However, there is a dearth of longitudinal research examining trauma symptomatology as an outcome of peer victimization with low-income, ethnic minority adolescents. The present study investigated this relation in a predominantly African American sample of 684 students assessed at five time points between the fall of their sixth grade and seventh grade school years. Growth mixture models grouped participants with similar victimization trajectories, and latent growth models related growth trajectories of physical and relational victimization to changes in trauma symptoms. Although initial levels of victimization were unrelated to changes in trauma symptoms over time, increasing victimization was associated with increasing trauma symptoms. These findings provide insight into the relation between peer victimization and trauma in an underserved sample of adolescents, with important implications for prevention efforts.

Exposure to community violence is a pervasive problem among urban youth and has been associated with both internalizing and externalizing disorders. The mechanisms through which exposure to community violence impacts adolescent adjustment are unclear. A change in adolescent schemas has been proposed as a mechanism through which the impact occurs. The goals of this study were to develop a measure of relevant adolescent schemas and examine their relation to exposure to community violence. A sample of 320 5th and 8th graders were assessed and confirmatory factor analyses of the measure supported a three factor model, including self-schemas, world schemas and use of violence schemas. Exposure to community violence, including victimization and witnessing violence, was associated with more negative adolescent schemas. Witnessing violence and victimization had distinct relations with schemas highlighting the need to examine these types of exposure independently. Overall, this study provides preliminary support for the importance of studying adolescent schemas within the context of community violence. The measure developed represents an initial step in this process given what is available in the literature. However, additional work on the measure is needed to ensure that it accurately samples the schema domains that are relevant for youth in this context.

The majority of students experience peer victimization at least once during middle school. Existing research has established a strong link between exposure to peer victimization and poor psychosocial outcomes, including, but not limited to, maladaptive coping processes. Although little empirical attention has been devoted to examining how peer victimization impacts the development of social goals, the few existing studies have shown a positive relation between peer victimization and revenge goals. To further advance this research, several concurrent and longitudinal models delineating the relations among peer victimization, physical aggression, parental attitudes toward aggression, peer deviance, and revenge goals were examined in a sample of 5,068 sixth graders in the fall and spring of the academic year. It was hypothesized that the relation between overt victimization and revenge goals would be moderated by: a) physical aggression, b) parental support of aggression, and c) peer deviancy, such that the relation would strengthen as levels of each moderator increased. Hierarchical linear regression models found significant, positive main effects for overt victimization, physical aggression, parental support for aggression, and peer deviancy on revenge goals both concurrently and over time. These effects did not differ by gender. Results indicated that the relation between overt victimization and revenge goals was strongest for students with low to moderate levels of physical aggression, whereas victimization was inversely related to revenge goals for highly aggressive students. In addition, overt victimization was positively related to revenge goals for students with low to moderate numbers of deviant peers, but this relation was no longer significant for students at the highest quartile of peer deviancy. These results have important implications regarding the inclusion of traditionally “low risk” students in violence prevention programs, and also highlight the importance of intervening at the individual, parent, and peer level.