Violence and Victims最新文献

The issue of mass shootings and how to prevent them has become a widely discussed topic in the United States, and attitudes about the role of guns in mass shootings are closely linked with gun policy preferences. An emerging frame to predict gun policy preferences is a "guns and freedom" ideology that views the wide availability of firearms as essential for freedom from criminal perpetrators and government authority. We rely on survey data to test the ability of the guns and freedom ideology to better predict the perspective that more guns in the hands of citizens would reduce mass shootings than frames typically discussed in the literature: political beliefs, region-rurality, gender-race, and gun ownership. Our results indicate that the belief that guns are essential to freedom is the strongest predictor of viewing the wide availability of guns as a solution for reducing mass shootings.

This study explores the victim-offender overlap, where intimate partner victimization (physical and verbal) increases the likelihood of subsequent violent behavior, within the context of the global pandemic, using data from both Western (the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands) and non-Western (Ukraine, Guatemala, and Pakistan) settings. Findings reveal that pandemic strain (e.g., concerns about the virus, food shortages, and health care issues) is significantly associated with violence (Western: b = .071, p < .001; non-Western: b = .025, p < .001) and the risk of victimization in both contexts. Verbal and physical victimization are also associated with violence across Western and non-Western settings. Verbal victimization explains 26% of the pandemic strain-violence relationship solely in Western contexts. These findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive strategies addressing pandemic-related stressors, ultimately reducing victimization and violence during global health crises.

Despite accumulating research on help-seeking among violence victims, little is known about help-seeking among youth who use violence. In a racially and ethnically diverse sample of early adolescents (N = 2,676; 50.3% female; M _age = 12.67), participants self-reported physical bullying, physical fighting, physical dating violence perpetration, and help-seeking intentions over the past year. T-test and one-way analysis of variance examined help-seeking by sex and race, respectively. Prevalence and comparisons of help-seeking across youth with and without any violence were examined. Youth who used any physical peer violence (n = 965) reported lower help-seeking intentions than their peers, and among violent youth, males reported higher help-seeking intentions than females. Overall, peers and caregivers were rated the most likely sources of support for adolescent personal problems. Findings underscore the need for universal violence prevention to equip youth, caregivers, and community members with help-seeking psychoeducation.

Youth who experience bias-based harassment report more adverse functioning than those who report peer victimization not targeted at identity. Yet, there has been little research aimed at understanding how different forms of bias-based harassment influence well-being. The current study adds to the existing research through its comprehensive assessment of adolescents' direct and witnessed bias-based harassment exposures and examination of how exposures are associated with mental health and grades. We also evaluated three protective factors (adult support at school, peer support, and school belonging) for their associations with functioning after taking into account bias-based harassment exposures. Participants were 7,402 high school adolescents in the Northeast (M _age = 15.41 years, SD = 1.08). Results revealed differential associations with mental health and grades based on bias-based harassment types and highlighted the importance of support and belonging.

The current study examined differences in acute stress and depression symptoms, alcohol use, and drug use between sexual minority and heterosexual survivors in the weeks following a sexual assault. The sample included 26 sexual minority and 66 heterosexual survivors (N = 92, 94.4% cisgender women, 51.1% White, and 31.5% Black) who completed screening during a follow-up mental health service after receiving a sexual assault medical forensic examination. Group differences on brief mental health and substance use screening measures were examined using χ² tests and t tests. Sexual minority survivors reported higher acute stress symptoms and were more likely to report drug use in the past 2 weeks, but no differences in depression symptoms and alcohol use were found. Results highlight the need for increased research on sexual minority survivors' unique experiences and needs following recent sexual assault.

In the Pakistani cultural context, dating violence is a pervasive issue that poses significant risks to mental health. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences and expressions of young adults who have faced dating violence, with a focus on informing counseling and early intervention. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis of semistructured interviews with 10 young adults (5 men and 5 women) aged 18-25 years, we identified superordinate themes of psychological, emotional, and physical modes of dating violence. Subordinate themes revealed a range of controlling and manipulating, stalking and surveillance, intimidating, isolation, communication gap, exploiting emotional dependency, ridiculing, lowering self-esteem and identity erosion, emotional distancing and neglect, humiliation and degradation, devaluation and defame, physical assault and injury, property damage, coercing or attempting sexual contact, and restraining and confinement. Our findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive intervention of dating violence in Pakistan including the integration of psychological support and emotional counseling, where societal pressure, family expectations, and gender roles exacerbate the abuse. This study contributes significantly to the understanding of dating violence in Pakistan and underscores the importance of tailored interventions to mitigate its devastating effects on mental health.

With growing concern about aggressive behavior among adolescents, there is ongoing debate regarding the link between poor sleep quality and aggression. The present study examines the relationship between poor sleep quality and aggressive behavior in adolescents, with a particular focus on family cohesion and affect (i.e., both negative and positive affect) as underlying mechanisms. A sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 528, M _age = 14.12, SD _age = 1.14, 45.8% female) participated in the study. The results indicated that poor sleep quality was positively associated with aggressive behavior. Family cohesion and both types of affect partially and serially mediated the relationship between poor sleep quality and aggressive behavior. These findings underscore the importance of targeting sleep quality in interventions aimed at adolescents. Improving sleep quality may help to enhance adolescents' mental and emotional well-being, promote healthier family relationships, and reduce aggressive behaviors.

Individuals with disabilities are nearly four times as likely to be victims of nonlethal violent crimes than individuals without disabilities. This study evaluated the relationship between vision and/or hearing loss and nonlethal violent victimization (NLVV), reporting of NLVV crimes to the police, and medical care for injury from NLVV. Data were analyzed from the 2016-2021 National Crime Victimization Survey. Logistic regression analyses found that individuals with sensory disabilities experienced more crime episodes but were less likely to report incidents to the police than individuals without sensory disabilities. Individuals with vision loss only or both sensory disabilities were less likely to receive medical care than individuals without sensory disabilities. Tailored programs are needed to reduce the burden of NLVV among individuals with vision and/or hearing loss.

Victimization is a common but unfortunate reality, with sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals at an increased risk of various forms of victimization compared with the heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. This disproportionate victimization of SGMs increases the likelihood that these individuals will experience adverse mental, physical, and educational outcomes. Some scholars have explored potential protective factors, specific to SGMs, that may be associated with a decreased risk of victimization and/or subsequent adverse outcomes. The present article provides readers with a narrative review of the relevant literature on these topics by examining prevalence rates of SGM victimization, common adverse consequences experienced by SGMs, and empirically examined protective factors for SGMs that show some evidence of effectiveness. The article ends with a discussion of suggestions for future research.

Vulnerability is the perception of being exposed and susceptible to potential harm or adversity. This study underscores the critical role of individual women's perceived vulnerability in shaping their sense of safety and risk of victimization within the urban landscape. Focusing on women aged 15-49 years in Sambalpur city and its surrounding areas, the research draws on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, analyzed through a phenomenological lens. Findings reveal that women's perceptions of physical vulnerability, sociopsychological harm associated with sexual crimes, apprehension about demands for sexual favors, and direct or vicarious experiences of victimization profoundly shape their fears and perceived risk of crime in the city. Recognizing and addressing these dimensions is vital to fostering urban spaces where women can move freely and confidently, without the shadow of fear or anxiety.