Topic: Violence and abuse

Violence, health and revictimization; a longitudinal study

Several earlier studies have described an increased risk of being subjected to new episodes of violence in adulthood if one has experienced violence during childhood. This phenomenon is called revictimization. The risk of being revictimized during adulthood for children and youth that have been exposed to violence seems to be relatively high. Revictimization seems to be connected to negative health development (Fellitti, 1998). Revictimization studies have primarily focused on one type of violence, sexual abuse. Meanwhile, it seems that the risk of being revictimized is not limited to the specific type of violence one has already been exposed to. For this reason, it is important to study which factors are associated with the different types of revictimization. Previous research does not clarify the mechanisms involved in connecting exposure to violence during childhood to being revictimized in adulthood and new research is therefore in demand. This study is based on findings in the NKVTS prevalence study (T1). A new questionnaire with more in-depth questions concerning re-victimization will be provided during the two subsequent data collections (T2 and T3).  

 
2015 This project has been completed 2020

Project Manager

Project Members

Main objective

The primary aim of the project is to establish knowledge of factors that are associated with the risk of being revictimized for adolescents and young adults. Furthermore the study will produce knowledge concerning the associative factors between being exposed to violence and abuse, revictimization and health. The findings of this research can be used for preventative measures.

Method

This is a follow-up study of individuals that participated in the 2013 “Safety, violence and quality of life in Norway” (T1) survey. Participants that reported severe violence during their childhood (before the age of 18 years) are selected from the T1 data collection. A control group will be chosen from respondents of T1 that are of the same sex and age, yet who have not reported similar exposure to violence.   All participants that are re-contacted have already agreed to be re-contacted during the T1 survey (91% answered positively to being re-contacted).

The telephone interviews, will be conducted by Ipsos MMI for the subsequent data collections T2 and T3.

The following variable groups will be investigated: introduction and exposure to violence, health, health behavior, social support, childhood living conditions and environment, present life situation and demography.

 

Publications

Aakvaag, H. F., & Strøm, I. F. (Red.) (2019). Vold i oppveksten: Varige spor? En longitudinell undersøkelse av reviktimisering, helse, rus og sosiale relasjoner hos unge utsatt for vold i barndommen [Does childhood exposure to violence have a lasting impact? A longitudinal study of revictimization, health, substance use, and social relations among young people who were subjected to violence during childhood] Norwegian only. Oslo: Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress. (Rapport 1/2019).

Birkeland, M. S., Strøm, I. F., Myhre, M. C., & Thoresen, S. (2019). Am I an island? A network analysis exploring aspects of social landscapes after childhood violence. Psychological Trauma. doi:10.1037/tra0000483

Rueness, J., Myhre, M. C., Strøm, I. F., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Dyb, G., & Thoresen, S. (2019). Child abuse and physical health: A population-based study on physical health complaints among adolescents and young adults. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. doi:10.1177/1403494819848581

Rueness, J., Myhre, M. C., Strøm, I. F., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Dyb, G., & Thoresen, S. (2019). The mediating role of posttraumatic stress reactions in the relationship between child abuse and physical health complaints in adolescence and young adulthood. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1). doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1608719

Strøm, I. F., Aakvaag, H. F., Birkeland, M. S., & Thoresen, S.Felix, E. (2018). The mediating role of shame in the relationship between childhood bullying victimization and adult psychosocial adjustment. [El papel mediador de la verguenza en la relacion entre la victimizacion por acoso en la infancia y el ajuste psicosocial de los adultos]. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 9(1). doi:10.1080/20008198.2017.1418570

Thoresen, S., Aakvaag, H. F., Strøm, I. F., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Birkeland, M. S. (2018). Loneliness as a mediator of the relationship between shame and health problems in young people exposed to childhood violence. Social Science and Medicine, 211, 183-189. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.002

Aakvaag, H. F., Thoresen, S., Strøm, I. F., Myhre, M. C., & Hjemdal, O. K. (2018). Shame predicts revictimization in victims of childhood violence. A prospective study of a general Norwegian population sample. Psychological Trauma, 11(1), 43-50. doi:10.1037/tra0000373

Strøm, I. F., Hjemdal, O. K., Myhre, M. C., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Thoresen, S. (2017). The social context of violence: A study of repeated victimization in adolescents and young adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35(11-12), 2210-2235. doi:10.1177/0886260517696867

Aakvaag, H. F., Thoresen, S., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Dyb, G. (2017). Adult victimization in female survivors of childhood violence and abuse: the contribution of multiple types of violence. Violence against Women, 23(13), 1601-1619. doi:10.1177/1077801216664427

Thoresen, S., & Myhre, M. C. (2016). Tiden leger ikke alle sår. Vold og traumer i et livsløpsperspektiv. In C. Øverlien, M. I. Hauge & J. H. Schultz (Red.) Barn, vold og traumer. Møter med unge i utsatte livssituasjoner. (pp. 150-166). Universitetsforlaget.