Cyber victimization within the Routine Activity Theory Framework in the Digital Age

This quantitative-based research determined whether the routine activity theory influences cyber victimization. To measure the dimensions of the theory, defined as exposure to a motivated offender, suitable online target, and absence of a capable guardian, a valid and reliable questionnaire was used. The cyber victimization questionnaire developed by Álvarez-García, Dobarro, and Núñez was applied to 1,285 students selected at random from schools in Colombia. Findings: 46% are identified as exposed to a motivated offender, 37.5% are suitable online targets, and 29.8% have no capable guardians. The interdependence of these three elements revealed that 3.9% of students are at risk due to their routine activities, which had a significant influence on cyber victimization. It is proposed that these findings should be considered in the design of communicative and educational policies aimed at a responsible use of technologies.

Afeto e Regulação Emocional entre Crianças Com e Sem Histórico de Abuso Sexual Infantil

O abuso sexual infantil (ASI) é um fator de risco para o surgimento de dificuldades emocionais. Diante disso, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o afeto positivo e negativo e as estratégias de regulação emocional em crianças de 8 a 12 anos vítimas de abuso sexual (G-ASI) e seus pares sem histórico de abuso (G-Não-ASI). Das 26 crianças participantes, 12 vivenciaram pelo menos um episódio de abuso sexual ao longo da vida, enquanto as outras 14 não foram vitimizadas. Foram utilizados os instrumentos Questionário Sociodemográfico, Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, Teste de Compreensão das Emoções e Escala de Afeto Positivo e Negativo. Os resultados demonstraram que a média de afeto negativo das crianças vítimas de abuso sexual foi maior do que a dos participantes do outro grupo, sendo vergonha, raiva, nervosismo e tristeza os afetos mais relatados. Em relação à regulação emocional, as crianças pertencentes ao G-ASI empregaram mais frequentemente estratégias regulatórias consideradas inadequadas para a faixa etária quando comparadas ao G-Não-ASI. Os resultados sugerem que a exposição ao ASI pode contribuir em diferenças nas respostas emocionais manifestadas pelas crianças. O conhecimento destes possíveis impactos é fundamental para o desenvolvimento de intervenções clínicas alinhadas às demandas das vítimas e baseadas em evidências.

Street Sexual Harassment: Experiences and Attitudes among Young Spanish People

Violence against women (VAW) is gender-based violence directed at women and girls on account of being female that can take on multiple forms and manifest in different contexts. Among the many possible forms of VAW, this article focuses on “piropos”, a type of stranger harassment situation. Specifically, the objectives of this study were two-fold: to analyze the usefulness of a tool to evaluate social attitudes towards this form of VAW and to analyze the influence of sociodemographic variables and prior victimization (whether as a witness or victim) on attitudes towards this type of violence among Spanish youth. An opportunity sample of 538 young Spanish people took part in this study. They filled out a sociodemographic data sheet, a victimization questionnaire designed ad hoc, and a questionnaire on attitudes towards “piropos”. The results obtained indicate that the questionnaire was adequate for use as a tool to evaluate social attitudes towards this type of VAW and suggest its applicability for future studies on attitudes towards “piropos” as a type of stranger harassment situation in a Spanish context. Moreover, the results on victimization not only corroborate the magnitude of street sexual harassment in Spain and a direct effect of gender on the perception of the violence experienced, they also reinforce the need to further investigate new aspects. Regarding attitudes towards “piropos”, the results obtained indicate that, in general, participants demonstrated negative attitudes or rejection, and these feelings were particularly strong among women.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Peer Victimization in a National Sample of Chilean Children and Youth

This research aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of peer victimization (PV) in a national sample of Chilean children and youth. We worked with secondary data of Encuesta Nacional de Polivictimización (2017). The sample was probabilistic and included 19,684 participants between 12 and 18 years ( M = 14.7, SD = 1.59) from all Chilean regions. The participants answered an adapted version of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire to assess different violence forms. However, for the present study, only five items related to PV were considered. The results showed that a lifetime and the last 12 months’ prevalence of PVwerevery high. More than half of the adolescents (60.3%) reported at least one type of victimization by peers throughout a lifetime. Gender differences were found; females have the highest rates of PV than males. These results have discussed the magnitude of this issue and promote the generation of prevention strategies.

Bias-motivated Victimization of Immigrant Students in Schools: Incidence, Impact, and Intervention

Background: Bias-motivated victimization is common among school-age youth and is associated with negative academic and emotional consequences. Few studies have looked at the incidence of various forms of bias-motivated victimization for first- and second- generation immigrant-origin students even though these students represent an especially vulnerable population for experiencing bias. Objective: The present study investigated whether immigrant-origin students reported higher incidences of bias-motivated victimization relative to their nonimmigrant-origin peers. For students who experienced bias-motivated victimization, we examined the impact of these experiences on levels of distress and examined perceived social and community support between immigrant-origin and nonimmigrant-origin students. Methods: Participants completed the Youth Bias Victimization Questionnaire (YBVQ), a questionnaire designed to capture information about how often youth experience different types of bias-motivated victimization. Results: Approximately 60% of youth in the full sample reported experiencing one or more types of bias victimization in their lifetime and this rate was generally equivalent across immigrant- origin and nonimmigrant-origin participants. For those students who reported at least one lifetime event of bias victimization, immigrant-origin youth were more likely than nonimmigrant-origin youth to experience victimization related to peers’ perceptions of their country of origin or immigrant status. There were no significant differences in reported levels of distress or perceived social and community support between immigrant-origin and nonimmigrant-origin youth, regardless of whether they experienced bias-motivated victimization during their lifetime. Conclusion: Clinicians working in school settings should be aware of the high incidence of students who experience bias-motivated victimization and when indicated provide targeted intervention services to those negatively impacted by these experiences.

Lifetime Victimization and Poly-Victimization in a Sample of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

People with intellectual disabilities appear to be more vulnerable to victimization. However, few studies have assessed victimization in these groups and those that do exist are highly heterogeneous and tend to focus only on specific forms of violence. This study attempts to shed light on the phenomenon of victimization among adults with intellectual disabilities by assessing victimization and poly-victimization throughout their life course. The sample consisted of 260 adults (154 men and 106 women) with an intellectual disability diagnosis, recruited from the Catalan Federation for People with Intellectual Disabilities (DINCAT) in Spain. They ranged in age from 20 to 71 years ( M = 41.69, SD = 12.05). Victimization experiences were assessed by means of an adaptation of the retrospective version of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ). The results showed that 96.9% of the participants had suffered some kind of victimization throughout their lives. With respect to the types of victimization, the most frequent were common victimization (87.7%), witnessing and indirect victimization (67.3%), victimization by caregivers (59.2%), sexual victimization (35%), and electronic victimization (23.5%). Women and early adults tended to experience higher rates of victimization. The poly-victimized group experienced 13 or more incidents of victimization throughout their lives. This study highlights the elevated rates of lifetime victimization among people with intellectual disabilities. It adds to previous evidence that special protection programs are required to address this issue and emphasizes the need for prevention and intervention measures in this particularly vulnerable group.

Effect of Moral Disengagement on Cyberbullying Perpetration in Middle School Students and the Moderating Role of Self-Control

This study examined the effects of moral disengagement (cognitive restructuring and blaming the victim) and selfcontrol on cyberbullying perpetration and investigated if self-control moderated the relationship between moral disengagement (cognitive restructuring and blaming the victim) and cyberbullying perpetration. Participants in the study consisted of 551 middle school students (273 boys and 278 girls) from five middle schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Cyberbullying perpetration, moral disengagement and self-control were measured using the Bullying/ Victimization Questionnaire, the Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement Scale, and the Self-Control Scale for children and adolescents. Data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and a hierarchical regression analysis. The moderating effect of self-control was analyzed using procedures proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986). The results indicated that both levels of cognitive restructuring and blaming the victim increased cyberbullying perpetration whereas the level of self-control decreased cyberbullying perpetration. In addition, self-control moderated the effect of cognitive restructuring on cyberbullying perpetration. The influence of cognitive restructuring on cyberbullying perpetration was greater when the level of self-control was low, compared to when it was high.