An Examination of the Effects of Different Victimization Types on Psychological and Behavioral Health Outcomes and the Mediating Role of Stress

Although a considerable amount of research has highlighted the link between interpersonal victimization and adverse psychological and behavioral health, a paucity of research has examined and compared the effects of multiple forms of victimization in the same study. There is also a limited understanding of the underlying individual factors (e.g., emotional processes) that might link experiences of victimization to psychological and behavioral health adversities. To address these gaps, the author used a nationally representative sample of 19,422 Canadians aged 15 years old or older to examine the effects of different types of victimization on psychological and behavioral health outcomes, and to determine whether these associations are mediated by perceived stress. Results revealed that some victimization types (i.e., personal, household/property, cyberbully, ex-partner physical/sexual and emotional abuse) had statistically significant adverse effects on psychological and behavioral health outcomes (i.e., self-report mental health, life satisfaction, satisfaction with safety from crime, and alcohol/drug abuse). Results also revealed that perceived stress mediated the association between some victimization types and psychological, but not behavioral, health outcomes. Discussion points toward the utility of examining multiple victimization types, as well as other converging individual factors or adversities, in explaining psychological and behavioral health outcomes.