Poly-victimization and trajectories of binge drinking from adolescence to young adulthood among serious juvenile offenders

Polyvictimization and academic performance among college students: Examining differences across sexual and gender identity

Objective: The current study examines the relationship between polyvictimization and academic performance in college across gender and sexual identity. Participants: Participants were from the Spring 2019 administration of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment-II. Methods: Multinomial logistic regression models and negative binomial regression models with and without interaction terms were used to explore if gender and sexual identity are related to academic performance, and if they are differentially related to academic performance when experiencing polyvictimization. Results: The effects of polyvictimization on academic performance are largely similar across all groups, but those identifying as trans/non-binary + and those identifying as a sexual minority had the greatest probability of experiencing academic performance issues. When the effects are different, they show a stronger association for students who are heterosexual and students who are cisgender. Conclusions: These similarities suggest that a need exists to target all students at risk for polyvictimization for intervention efforts.

Operational Definitions of Poly-Victimization: A Scoping Review

Throughout the last two decades, research on poly-victimization (PV) has evolved from examinations of a core set of past-year victimization types in youth samples to investigations of a broad range of victimization types experienced during variable time intervals in diverse samples of varying ages. As the concept of PV expands, greater clarity regarding the definition and measurement of PV is needed to advance understanding of its risk and protective factors as well as its associated outcomes. This scoping review aimed to (a) identify approaches used to operationally define and measure PV across studies and (b) synthesize empirical findings concerning risk factors and outcomes associated with PV. A systematic search of peer-reviewed research published before 2022 across 12 databases yielded 98 studies that met inclusion criteria. Study characteristics including the research design, sample type, victimization timeframe, operational definition(s) of PV, measurement of PV, analytic methods, and key findings were synthesized across studies. Findings indicated that the majority of reviewed studies were cross-sectional investigations that utilized categorical measures of lifetime PV in samples of youth. Results also demonstrated that PV is robustly associated with a broad range of predictors, including mental health symptoms and diagnoses as well as family- and community-level factors. PV is also associated with numerous adverse outcomes including depression, anxiety, suicidality, substance use, and delinquency across diverse study types and populations. Future research that examines the conditional effects of PV is needed to identify subgroups of individuals at higher risk of adverse outcomes following PV and modifiable targets for interventions.

Associations of childhood poly-adversity with alcohol problems among undergraduates: adolescent alcohol use trajectories and drinker self-schema

OBJECTIVE

Undergraduate drinking is associated with childhood adversity, early alcohol experience, and drinker self-schema. However, the pathway linking childhood adversity to undergraduate drinking problems remains undefined. This study aimed to identify the effects of childhood poly-adversity on the sequelae of adolescent alcohol-use trajectory, drinker self-schema, and alcohol problems among undergraduates. We also examined whether adolescent alcohol-use trajectory and drinker self-schema mediated the effects of childhood poly-adversity on undergraduate alcohol problems.

METHODS

Baseline data from an ongoing prospective study, which included 851 first- and second-year full-time college students in Taiwan, were used. An anonymous online questionnaire was administered.

RESULTS

The results showed that low poly-adversity and high poly-adversity were associated with the mean of initial alcohol use frequency during adolescence and further alcohol problems at college than those with no adversity. High poly-adversity was also associated with the increase in alcohol use frequency during adolescence. Both initial and increase in alcohol use frequency were associated with higher drinker self-schema scores and further alcohol problems. The indirect effects of high poly-adversity on undergraduate alcohol problems were mediated through adolescent alcohol-use trajectories and drinker self-schema.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that early identification of childhood poly-adversity and interventions to decrease adolescent drinking may prevent the formation of drinker self-schema and reduce undergraduate drinking problems.

Overlap Between Exposure to Suicidal Behavior and Indirect Interpersonal Violence: Evidence for a More Integrated Approach to Violence Research

This study examines the overlap between indirect exposure to forms of interpersonal violence and suicidal behavior, and the impact of the co-occurrence of these exposures on indicators of depressed mood and substance use among adolescents. Participants were a national sample of 3,917 youth aged 14-15 years, recruited online between June 2018 and March 2020, including an oversample of sexual and gender minority youth. Eight in ten (81.3%) youth reported exposure to indirect interpersonal violence and/or suicidal behavior in their lifetimes: 39.5% reported only interpersonal violence exposure, 5.9% only suicidal behavior exposure, and 35.9% reported both. Youth who reported exposure to interpersonal violence were almost three times more likely (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.78, p < .001) to also report suicidal behavior exposure. Compared with youth having no indirect violence exposure, those with only interpersonal violence exposure were 2.25 times more likely (p < .001), those with only exposure to suicidal behavior 2.93 times more likely (p < .001), and those with both were 5.63 times more likely to report recent depressed mood. The unadjusted odds of any substance use was significantly elevated for each type of indirect violence exposure, with the highest odds seen among youth with dual interpersonal violence and suicide exposure (OR = 4.87, p < .001). For both outcomes, significant findings remained but were attenuated after adjusting for demographic characteristics, non-victimization adversity exposure, and cumulative direct victimization. Findings suggest that the combination of exposure to interpersonal violence and suicidal behavior appears to be particularly impactful. Results highlight that assessment of trauma exposure among adolescents needs to be more comprehensive and include not only direct and indirect interpersonal violence, but also knowledge of other people's suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Relationship between polyvictimization and overweight among adolescents from São Paulo city, Brazil

This study is to identify victimization patterns and analyze the association between the experience of polyvictimization and overweight or obesity among adolescent girls and boys. The sample consisted of 2680 Brazilian ninth-graders enrolled in public and private schools, taken from the São Paulo Project for the social development of children and adolescents (SP-PROSO). Victimization was explored in two ways: (i) as per Finkelhor and (ii) by latent class analysis (LCA). The interest outcomes were overweight and obesity. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to study the relationship between victimization and overweight or obesity, controlling for confounders. LCA grouped boys and girls adolescents into three classes. These classes received the same labels, but the patterns differed between sexes. Class 1 was characterized by fewer types of victimization suffered and lower endorsement values in the analyzed items and was named bullying and indirect victimization (♀: 42.7%, n = 546; ♂: 21.6%, n = 293). Class 2 included more victimization types than Class 1 and less than Class 3. This class was labeled family violence and peer victimization (♀: 29.1%, n = 356; ♂: 47.9%, n = 652). Class 3 was named high polyvictimization (♀: 28.2%, n = 345; ♂: 30.5%, n = 418). According to Finkelhor, polyvictimization was not associated with overweight or obesity in both sexes. Only the class of high polyvictimization was associated with being overweight (OR_adj: 1.60, 95%CI: 1.01-2.54) in girls. In this study, polyvictimization was associated with being overweight only among adolescent girls. Longitudinal studies in different contexts and populations are needed to understand this relationship.

Analysis of Representations of the Aid That Public Psychological Support Points Provide to Adolescent Female Victims of Gender-Based Violence: Reformulation of Policies and Practices

Gender-based violence in adolescence has become a social health problem that is creating great concern and interest worldwide. In this regard, knowledge of the role taken by the professionals responsible for screening, detecting, referring, and caring for adolescent victims is essential to be able to understand the phenomenon and its characteristics in a practical way. In this sense, psychologists specialising in the care of victims of adolescent gender-based violence have complete and in-depth knowledge, not only of the phenomenon itself and the way in which it is presented in society, but also of the features presented by these victims and the aspects that need to be worked on during the intervention process. Given this context, a series of interviews with psychologists specialised in the care of gender-based violence victims were subjected to a qualitative deductive/inductive analysis. These interviews addressed the psychologists' theoretical-practical knowledge about the adolescent gender-based violence phenomenon. The analysis of the results points to the victims' irrational ideas regarding abusive relationships, to the form in which Psychological Support Points are organised to help the victims, and to the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of these centres for them to be able to improve their operation and effectiveness in providing comprehensive care for adolescents beyond the psychological consultations themselves.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ESCALATION OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Understanding factors that contribute to the escalation of alcohol consumption is key to understanding how an individual transitions from non/social drinking to AUD and to providing better treatment. In this review, we discuss how the way ethanol is consumed as well as individual and environmental factors contribute to the escalation of ethanol consumption from intermittent low levels to consistently high levels. Moreover, we discuss how these factors are modelled in animals. It is clear a vast array of complex, interacting factors influence changes in alcohol consumption. Some of these factors act early in the acquisition of ethanol consumption and initial escalation, while others contribute to escalation of ethanol consumption at a later stage and are involved in the development of alcohol dependence. There is considerable need for more studies examining escalation associated with the formation of dependence and other hallmark features of AUD, especially studies examining mechanisms, as it is of considerable relevance to understanding and treating AUD.

Association of Addictive Substance Use with Polyvictimization and Acceptance of Violence in Adolescent Couples

Theoretical framework: The objectives of this study were to analyse the possible influence that some variables such as substance use (alcohol and marijuana) might have on relevant aspects related to violence in adolescent dating (victimization, frequency of violence and acceptance of violence). Methods: The sample included 2577 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18. The instruments used were two questionnaires. The first identified and analysed the types and frequency of violence experienced by the victims, and their acceptance of violence. The second analysed the use of alcohol and marijuana in adolescents. Results: The results indicate that victims frequently take on the role of polyvictims, suffering aggression in up to more than five different forms at the same time. Furthermore, it was found that this phenomenon is precipitated by substance use, the frequency of abuse and the acceptance of violence in a cycle of mutual interaction.

Effects of homophobic name-calling and verbal sexual harassment on substance use among young adults

Verbal aggression victimization, such as homophobic name-calling, has been linked to heavier substance use among young people, but little longitudinal research has examined how different types of victimization may affect substance use or whether certain psychosocial factors moderate these risks. In a diverse cohort (N  = 2,663), latent transition analysis was used to model heterogeneity in victimization (age 19) and substance use (age 20). Four victimization (high victimization, homophobic name-calling only, verbal sexual harassment only, and low victimization) and three substance use (poly-substance use, alcohol, and cannabis only, low all) classes were identified. The high victimization and homophobic name-calling only classes had the highest probabilities of transitioning into the poly-substance use class, and the high victimization class had the highest probability of transitioning into the alcohol and cannabis only class. The probability of transitioning into the low all substance use class was highest in the low victimization class and lowest in the high victimization class. For the high victimization class, greater depressive symptoms increased the odds, and better peer relationship quality decreased the odds, of transitioning into the poly-substance use and alcohol and cannabis only classes. For the homophobic name-calling only class, greater depressive symptoms increased the odds of transitioning into the poly-substance use class. Homophobic name-calling, alone or in combination with verbal sexual harassment, is a risk factor for escalating substance use in young adulthood, especially among victims with depressive symptoms.

Influences of victimization and comorbid conditions on substance use disorder outcomes in justice-involved youth: A discrete time survival mixture analysis

To understand how exposure to victimization during adolescence and the presence of comorbid psychological conditions influence substance use treatment entry and substance use disorder diagnosis from 14 to 25 years old among serious juvenile offenders, this study included 1,354 serious juvenile offenders who were prospectively followed over 7 years. Growth mixture modeling was used to assess profiles of early victimization during adolescence (14-17 years). Discrete time survival mixture analysis was used to assess time to treatment entry and substance use disorder diagnosis. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) were used as predictors of survival time. Mixture models revealed three profiles of victimization: sustained poly-victimization, moderate/decreasing victimization, and low victimization. Youth in the sustained poly-victimization class were more likely to enter treatment earlier and have a substance use diagnosis earlier than other classes. PTSD was a significant predictor of treatment entry for youth in the sustained poly-victimization class, and MDD was a significant predictor of substance use disorder diagnosis for youth in the moderate/decreasing victimization class. Therefore, substance use prevention programming targeted at youth experiencing poly-victimization in early adolescence-especially those who have PTSD or MDD-is needed.

The Prevalence and Longitudinal Patterns of Continuous Community Violence Exposure and Trauma-Related Symptoms in Adolescent Male Serious Offenders

The current study examined the longitudinal patterns of continuous exposure to community violence (ECV) and associated symptoms in serious adolescent male offenders. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance Study (Schubert et al., 2004), the current study examined the prevalence of continuous ECV and the stability in exposure over a 3-year period in 1,170 adolescent male offenders (M age at baseline = 16.05 years, SD = 1.15). The results revealed variability in adolescent offenders' ECV and trauma-related symptoms. A latent class analysis identified three classes of participants at each time point: "witnessed with hostility," "dually exposed [i.e., high probability of both witnessing and victimization] with anxiety and hostility," and "no/low exposure with anxiety and hostility." Participants in the witnessed with hostility class reported more baseline ECV than those in the other classes, ds = 0.62-1.37, and more violent offenses than those in the dually exposed with anxiety and hostility class, d = 0.48. In addition, participants in the witnessed with hostility class were older, d = 0.10, and reported more violent offenses at baseline, d = 0.07, than those in the no/low exposure class; however, participants in the no/low exposure class reported spending more time in secure settings with no community access than those in the witnessed with hostility class, d = 0.20. A latent transition analysis over a 3-year period revealed relatively high stability in ECV and trauma-related symptoms over time, with a large proportion of participants remaining in the same violence and trauma class at each transition.

Victimization and substance use among adolescents in residential child care

BACKGROUND

Adolescents in Residential Child Care (RCC) report high levels of victimization. This has been linked to mental health problems and a higher risk of substance use and substance use problems. The present study aimed to evaluate the specific impact of different forms of victimization on alcohol and cannabis use problems among adolescents in RCC, attending to sex differences.

METHODS

321 adolescents from 38 residential therapeutic care facilities in Spain participated in the study. Thirty-six different forms of victimization were evaluated, as well as alcohol and cannabis use problems. Impact of polyvictimization and specific forms of victimization on alcohol and cannabis use problems and disorders were calculated using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Girls in RCC reported significantly more experiences of victimization. Polyvictimization was associated with alcohol use problems but not cannabis use problems. Property, domestic and community victimization showed the highest predictive role regarding alcohol and cannabis use disorders, with significant interactions with sex and migrant family background.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents in RCC reported considerably high levels of victimization and alcohol and cannabis use problems. In this population, property victimization, as well as indirect domestic and community victimization were predictors of further substance use problems, with girls being particularly sensitive to victimization. Migrant family backgrounds can also have an influence on the impact of some victimization forms on substance use. Victimization associated to high-risk environments and families could contribute to explain the high levels of substance use problems in this population.

Early Life Poly-Victimization and Differential Development of Anxiety as Risk Factors for the Continuity of Substance Dependence in Adulthood

Background: Abuse of psychoactive substances may lead to physical and/or physiological dependence on said substances. While a great deal of research has focused on risk factors predicting onset, there has been little research focused on risk factors influencing continued dependence on substances in adulthood following onset early in life. Purpose/Objectives: The present study examined poly-victimization and developmental patterns of anxiety as predictors of continued substance dependence problems. Methods: The Pathways to Desistance data were used in the present study. A subset of this sample was used in analyses comprising 261 juvenile offenders who reported lifetime drug and/or alcohol dependence at baseline. Firth logistic regression was used to estimate the impact that covariates had on the odds that individuals in this subsample had continued substance dependence in adulthood. Results: Results indicated that increased poly-victimization score pertaining to direct victimization at baseline was associated with increased odds of continued substance dependence problems in adulthood. Further, presentation of high and chronic anxiety symptomatology during adolescence was associated with increased risk for continued dependence. Conclusions/Importance: Drug dependent adolescents who demonstrate chronic anxiety and/or have experienced polyvictimization are at-risk for continuity of dependent in adulthood. Youth should be screened for these issues and targeted with treatment.

Individual, Family, and School Correlates across Patterns of High School Poly-substance Use

Background: Recent popularity in e-cigarette use among high school students and the legalization of marijuana across many states resulted in new patterns of poly-substance use (PSU). Objective: The purpose of this study is to understand contemporary patterns of PSU and their associations with individual social-emotional characteristics (sensation seeking, perceived harm, life satisfaction) and social-contextual factors (parental involvement, school norms, academics, and behaviors). Methods: Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify patterns of PSU among 12th-grade students (n = 8417) from the 2016 Monitoring the Future project. Multinomial logistic regression was used to understand the relationship among individual characteristics, social-contextual factors, and patterns of PSU. Results: From the LCA, three patterns of PSU were identified: (1) low-use (72.2%); (2) pre-dominantly marijuana use with some co-occurring substance use (23.8%); and (3) high PSU (4.0%). Results indicate that students with pre-dominant marijuana use were differentiated from those with PSU by having higher perceived harm of electronic and regular cigarette, heavy alcohol use, and better academic grades. Furthermore, students with both polysubstance and pre-dominant marijuana use, when compared to those with low-use, had lower life satisfaction, higher sensation seeking, lower perceived harm of substance use, poorer grades, and more disciplinary problems. Conclusion/Importance: Findings draw attention to the importance of understanding levels of life satisfaction, sensation seeking, perceived harm, academic grades, and disciplinary problems as they pertain to contemporary patterns of PSU. Schools should consider a tailored and multi-tiered approach to addressing students' substance use.

Understanding the Buffering Effects of Protective Factors on the Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Teen Dating Violence Perpetration

Prior research has demonstrated the scope and impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on health and wellbeing. Less is known about the trajectories from exposure to ACEs, such as witnessing family conflict and violence in the community, to teen dating violence perpetration, and the protective factors that buffer the association between early exposure to ACEs and later teen dating violence perpetration. Students (n = 1611) completed self-report surveys six times during middle and high school from 2008 to 2013. In early middle school, the sub-sample was 50.2% female and racially/ethnically diverse: 47.7% Black, 36.4% White, 3.4% Hispanic, 1.7% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 10.8% other. Youth were, on average, 12.7 years old. Latent transition analysis was used to assess how trajectories of exposure to parental conflict and community violence during middle school transition into classes of teen dating violence perpetration (e.g., sexual, physical, threatening, relational, and verbal) in high school. Protective factors were then analyzed as moderators of the transition probabilities. Three class trajectories of ACEs during middle school were identified: decreasing family conflict and increasing community violence (n = 103; 6.4%), stable low family conflict and stable low community violence (n = 1027; 63.7%), stable high family conflict and stable high community violence (n = 481; 29.9%). A three class solution for teen dating violence perpetration in high school was found: high all teen dating violence class (n = 113; 7.0%), physical and verbal only teen dating violence class (n = 335; 20.8%), and low all teen dating violence class (n = 1163; 72.2%). Social support, empathy, school belonging and parental monitoring buffered some transitions from ACEs exposure trajectory classes to teen dating violence perpetration classes. Comprehensive prevention strategies that address multiple forms of violence while bolstering protective factors across the social ecology may buffer negative effects of exposure to violence in adolescence.

Extending poly-victimization theory: Differential effects of adolescents' experiences of victimization on substance use disorder diagnoses upon treatment entry

BACKGROUND

Although victimization is a known contributor to the development of substance use disorders, no research has simultaneously examined how characteristics of victimization experienced over time, such as the type of abuse, the presence of poly-victimization, closeness to perpetrator(s), life threat or fear, and negative social reactions to disclosing victimization, cluster into profiles that predict substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the current study is to assess how profiles of victimization and trauma characteristics are associated with substance use disorders and assess potential gender differences.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Participants were 20,092 adolescents entering substance use treatment.

METHODS

We used latent class and multi-group latent class analysis to extract classes of victimization and associated characteristics. Emergent classes were used to predicted substance use disorder status at treatment intake.

RESULTS

Five classes were extracted: poly-victimization + high harmful trauma characteristics, sexual abuse + negative social reaction and perceived life threat, emotional abuse + trusted perpetrator, physical abuse and low all. Similar classes were found for the multi-group model. In both the overall and female-specific models, the poly-victimization + high harmful trauma characteristics class was more severe than all other classes in terms of opioid use disorder, tobacco use disorder, and dual diagnosis. Other class differences were found across gender.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents entering treatment can be distinguished by their profiles of victimization experiences and associated characteristics, and these profiles evidence different associations with substance use disorder diagnoses. Results point to a need for more nuanced assessment of victimization experiences and gender-specific interventions.

Exposure to parental and community violence and the relationship to bullying perpetration and victimization among early adolescents: A parallel process growth mixture latent transition analysis

This study examined heterogeneity in parental and community violence exposure during middle school and its association with bullying perpetration and victimization in high school. Youth (N = 1,611) in four Midwestern middle schools participated. Parallel process growth mixture latent transition analysis was used to understand how trajectory profiles of middle school violence exposure was associated with high school bullying profiles. Impulsivity, depression, school belonging, and delinquency were assessed as moderators of the transition probabilities. A three class solution was found for violence exposure: decreasing parental violence/increasing community violence (n = 103; 6.4%), stable high parental violence and low community violence (n = 1,027; 63.7%), and increasing parental violence and stable high community violence (n = 481; 29.8%). Similarly, a three class solution was found for high school bullying: High Bullying Perpetration and High Victimization class (n = 259; 16%), Victimization only (n = 1145; 71%), and low all class (n = 207; 13%). The largest proportion of youth transitioning into the high bullying and high victimization class were from the decreasing parental violence/increasing community violence. Depression, impulsivity, school belonging, and delinquency all had various moderating effects on transition probabilities. Our findings make it apparent that early forms of parental and community violence are associated with aggressive behaviors and experiences with victimization during high school. Prevention and intervention efforts should target individuals who display early and chronic patterns of exposure to violence as these individuals have the greatest risk of later aggressive and victimization in high school.