Bullying and fear of victimization: Do supportive adults in school make a difference in adolescents’ perceptions of safety?

This study examines the role played by a limited number of fear-of-crime correlates in structuring variations in fear of violent victimization expressed by a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents who participated in the 2013 National Crime Victimization Survey School Crime Supplement. Results show that both male and female adolescents who experienced bullying victimization also felt a higher level of fear of victimization at school and elsewhere. Conversely, adolescents who received emotional support at school from teachers and other adults were significantly less likely to be fearful. When controlling for the selected predictors, female adolescents were not more fearful than their male counterparts. Additionally, findings indicate that, especially for male adolescents, a positive school climate has the capacity to moderate the effect of bullying victimization on one’s fear of crime.     

Multidimensional Bullying Victimization Scale: Development and validation

The prevalence of bullying has increased over the past decade and is a public health concern. Existing measures of bullying lack breadth and/or psychometric support, which may inaccurately represent current rates of bullying. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a psychometrically sound measure, the Multidimensional Bullying Victimization Scale (MBVS), to evaluate bullying in adolescents. An initial pool of items was generated and rated by 600 adolescents. Exploratory factor analyses yielded three factors—direct bulling, indirect bullying, and evaluative bullying. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on independent sample of 623 adolescents, supporting the original three-factor solution. Results indicate that the MBVS demonstrates good internal consistency, construct validity, and concurrent validity. The MBVS scores were significantly and positively correlated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The MBVS provides a reliable and valid assessment of adolescents’ experiences with bully victimization.     

The impact of low self-control and delinquent peer associations on bullying perpetration and victimization among South Korean adolescents: Time-concurrent,time-lagged,and latent growth curve modeling

This study examines the impact of low self-control and deviant peer affiliations on bullying perpetration and victimization in South Korea. Our sample is drawn from a five-wave, longitudinal study of 2,844 Korean adolescents (ages 11–15), compiled by the Korean Youth Panel Study. Theoretically driven models are tested using time-concurrent and time-lagged models to assess the time-ordered relationship between deviant peer affiliations and bullying perpetration and victimization, and latent growth curve models to assess developmental trajectories of bullying outcomes. Low self-control is incorporated as a time-invariant construct, and deviant peer affiliations is incorporated as a time-varying construct. The impact of covariates drawn from the mixed model is slightly different for bullying perpetrators and victims. The time-concurrent effect of deviant peer associations is stronger than the time-lagged effect on both bullying perpetration and victimization. Deviant peer affiliations fully mediate the link between low self-control and only bullying victimization in a full model.     

Relational Victimization,Callous-Unemotional Traits,and Hostile Attribution Bias Among Preadolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of callous-unemotional traits, hostile attribution bias, and relational victimization experiences among 228 Greek preadolescent students attending the last two primary school grades. No significant gender differences were found. Correlations showed positive associations among relational victimization, callous-unemotional traits, and hostile attribution bias. Multiple regression indicated that preadolescents with high callous and unemotional traits and hostile attribution bias who experienced physical aggression were more likely to be relationally victimized. Results emphasize the role of both personal and social-cognitive factors in relational victimization, and are discussed in terms of their practical implications.     

Natural Mentoring Relationships as a Protective Factor for Victims of Bullying

School bullying is associated with a host of unfavorable psychosocial outcomes, even as victims enter college. Thus, the identification of modifiable protective factors remains an important goal of psychological research in the context of resilience theory. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effect of natural mentoring relationships (NMRs) on the association between peer victimization and college adjustment. Participants were 239 undergraduate students from a rural Midwestern university. Results indicated that higher levels of past peer victimization were associated with higher levels of depression and interpersonal problems. The presence of NMRs moderated the relationship between past peer victimization and interpersonal problems. Though further study is necessary, NMRs among school-aged students who experience bullying may be beneficial.     

Online victimization risk and self-protective strategies: developing police-led cyber fraud prevention programs

ABSTRACT

The prevalence and impact of cyber fraud continues to increase exponentially with new and more innovative methods developed by offenders to target and exploit victims for their own financial reward. Traditional crime reaction methods used by police have proved largely ineffective in this context, with offenders typically located outside of the police jurisdiction of their victims. Given this, some police agencies have begun to adopt a victim focused, crime prevention approach to cyber fraud. The current research explores with a sample of two hundred and eighteen potential cyber fraud victims, the relationship between online victimization risk, knowledge and use of crime prevention strategies. The study found those most at risk of cyber fraud victimization despite accurate perceptions of risk and knowledge of self-protective behaviors in the online environment underutilise online prevention strategies. This research has important implications for police agencies who are designing and delivering cyber fraud education. It provides guidance for the development of effective prevention programs based on practical skills development.     

Culture in transition: Awareness and appropriate response to domestic violence among Hmong American college students

This explanatory study examined Hmong college students’ experience, awareness, and appropriate response to domestic violence in the Hmong community, using a survey (n?=?231) at one of the largest Hmong-serving institutions in the United States. Findings indicated that 32.8% of Hmong college women had some violence from their romantic partners and two thirds of Hmong college men and women were aware of violence in the Hmong community. Those young generation Hmong reported that the most appropriate method to solve conflicts within the Hmong community is through the traditional clan system. These results can be used to begin formulating research-based cultural competence education for providers in the criminal justice system and facilitate discussions on youth perceptions.     

Correlates of campus crime: An exploration of minority attitudes at an HBCU

Despite a recent increase in the reporting of crime, student attitudes associated with crime on college campuses have been well documented. To the contrary, there is a deficiency of studies that examine the views of students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify student attitudes in relation to crime within the context of victimization, offender characteristics, and crime prevention measures. Analyzing nearly 200 questionnaires, chi-square analyses reveal that age, gender, and residential status bear statistically significant relationships in association with student attitudes towards various aspects of campus-related crime. In a similar vein, binary logistic regression models demonstrate the existence of significant associations in a number of specific categories such as victimization and crime prevention measures. Limitations, areas of further research, and policy implications are discussed.     

Personal networks and crime victimization among Swedish youth

We combine routine activity theory, lifestyle-victimization theory, and a social network perspective to examine crime victimization. In particular, we study to what extent crime victimization is associated with having close contacts who have been victimized and/or who engage in risky lifestyles. We use the data (collected in 2014) of 1,051 native Swedes and 1,108 Iranian and Yugoslavian first- or second-generation immigrants in Sweden who were all born in 1990. They were asked to describe their personal characteristics, various behaviours, and past personal experiences with crime victimization, as well as those of the five persons with whom they most often spend their leisure time. Our findings support the network perspective: crime victimization is negatively associated with the number of close contacts an individual mentions but is substantially more likely for those who have many close contacts who have themselves been victimized. In terms of a risky lifestyle that may enhance the likelihood of being victimized, we found only that individuals who get drunk frequently were at somewhat higher risk of being victimized. To guard young individuals against crime victimization, it might thus be worthwhile to focus more on with whom they associate than on their potentially risky lifestyles or attitudes.     

LIFESTYLE,RATIONAL CHOICE,AND ADOLESCENT FEAR: A TEST OF A RISK‐ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK*

Criminological research on fear of crime primarily has been based on, and supportive of, an opportunity framework. The current research tests an expanded risk‐assessment model of fear, which is rooted in an opportunity framework, by incorporating a measure of delinquent lifestyle, which is a known risk factor for victimization, using a sample of youth aged 10–16 years. The findings from longitudinal structural equation models do not support the applicability of a risk‐assessment model of fear in adolescence. Namely, although increased involvement in a delinquent lifestyle is associated strongly with an increase in victimization over time, no such association exists with the perceived risk of victimization. Most importantly, as adolescents become more involved in a delinquent lifestyle and are victimized at a higher rate than nondelinquent youth, their fear of victimization actually decreases at a significantly higher rate than more prosocial youth.