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Research has drawn attention to the stigma and high rates of victimization among people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and an overlap between bias and non-bias victimization. However, studies of bias events or hate crime involving persons with ID are scarce. Using a self-report measure, we analyze lifetime bias victimization in a sample of 260 adults diagnosed with ID (age M = 41.7, SD = 12.0; 59.2% men), of whom 92 experienced bias victimization (age M = 41.2, SD = 11.9; 54.3% men), and compare the number of different types of victimization and the poly-victimization status between bias and non-bias victims. We also examine the following features: the victim, offender(s), victim–offender relationship, and location. Results show that bias victims experience a higher number of different types of victimization than non-bias victims (M = 7.74 and 4.96, respectively; p <.001, r rb=.37, ξ =.42) and are four times more likely to be poly-victims than non-bias victims (odds ratio [ OR ] = 4.37; 95% CI, p <.001). Most of the victims experienced a number of bias victimization episodes (89.1%; n = 82), and more than a quarter were injured (27.2%, n = 25) as a result of the victimization. All the bias victimizations by strangers were carried out in public places, as were most of the bias victimizations by acquaintances. Schoolmates and work colleagues perpetrated attacks at school and in the workplace, respectively. More than half of the victims, 63% (n = 58), spoke of the experience with someone, but only one reported it to the authorities. The paper provides a valuable descriptive and bivariate analysis of bias victimization of people with ID. The findings will help to understand bias violence against this population, highlighting the need for targeted and effective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The criteria that researchers use to classify aggressive behaviour as bullying are ‘repetition’, ‘power imbalance’, and ‘intent to hurt’. However, studies that have analyzed adolescents’ perceptions of bullying find that most adolescents do not simultaneously consider these three criteria. This paper examines adolescents’ perceptions of bullying and of the different forms it takes, and whether these perceptions vary according to the teen’s role of victim, aggressor, or witness in a bullying situation. The data acquisition instrument was a questionnaire applied to a sample of 2295 teenagers. The results show that none of these three groups considered the criterion of repetition to be important to define bullying. A further conclusion was that both aggressors and witnesses used the criteria of ‘power imbalance’ and ‘intent to hurt’ to identify a situation of bullying, although the aggressors placed especial emphasis on the superiority of power over the victim, while the witnesses emphasized the intent to hurt the victim. One noteworthy finding was that victims do not consider the factor ‘power imbalance’. The factor that determined their perceptions was the ‘intent to hurt’. Finally, some modes of bullying were seen as forms of typical teen social interactions, and the perception depended significantly on the adolescent’s role as aggressor, victim, or witness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situations of sexual and sexist harassment are the result of daily and widespread practices that also occur in universities. This study aims to investigate experienced and perceived situations of sexual and sexist violence in universities in southern Spain. The methodology consists of a review of the literature and the production of primary data using the quantitative method and the questionnaire technique. The sample consisted of 1,583 members of the university community of one of the ten universities in southern Spain, with a total population of 23,500 people. The results, in terms of harassment experienced (real or technical), reveal that the main victims of sexual and sexist harassment in the universities of southern Spain are women and people with different sexual identities (more than 83% of cases), between 19 and 50 years, and belonging to the student, teaching and research staff, and administration and services staff, without a permanent position. Female students are the most vulnerable, while men, in any of the categories, are victims in less than 17% of cases. Likewise, in 86% of the cases the harasser is a male, while women are harassers in 10.5% of the cases and people with diverse sexual identity are harassers in 3.5% of the situations. With regard to perceived (declared) harassment, the study concludes that the sex of the people surveyed, their level of studies, the university campus to which they belong and gender stereotypes are determining factors in the degree of perception of harassment situations. On the other hand, age, status, and employment status do not play a significant role in the respondents' perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For young women, the power imbalance in favor of males in dating relationships has been related to dating violence (DV) victimization. In addition, the use of rumination to cope with DV may increase their psychological distress. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether experiences of DV and rumination mediate the association between power imbalance and suicide risk (SR). The sample comprised 1,216 young women aged between 18 and 28 years from Colombia (n = 461) and Spain (n = 755), in a heterosexual dating relationship, not married or cohabiting with a partner and without children. The following scales were applied: The Sexual Relationship Power Scale-Modified, The Dating Violence Questionnaire–-R (DVQ-R); Cyberdating Abuse Questionnaire, Measure of Affect Regulation Scale (MARS), and The Spanish Suicide Risk Scale. A sequential mediation paths model was tested. Results indicated that power imbalance was associated with DV victimization. Furthermore, DV was associated with more rumination, which was also linked to a greater SR in both countries. Rumination may be a mechanism through which experiences of DV victimization negatively influence mental health in young women and is an important variable related cross-culturally to SR. The findings suggest an equality approach, addressing the power imbalance in dating relationships, empowering girls to prevent DV, and teaching coping strategies for dealing with victimization and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet is the setting for several forms of violent and risky behavior among adolescents, such as cyberbullying, sexualized interactions with adults, sexting, and online dating violence. Often, these behaviors are responses to experiences of online victimization. This study examined the differential effects of a wise intervention (WI), combining growth mindset and self-affirmation strategies, on these behaviors for adolescents who had experienced victimization and those who had not. A sample of 1,085 adolescents (54.3% girls; ages 11–18 years) were randomized into two intervention conditions (WI and an anti-stress control intervention). They completed measures of violent and risky behaviors at pretest and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups and measures of victimization at pretest. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that the WI was beneficial for adolescents without experiences of victimization at pretest, as they displayed smaller increases in online peer aggressions, sexualized interactions with adults, and sexting than the adolescents in the control condition. However, the WI was not beneficial for adolescents with experiences of victimization at pretest. Moreover, the adolescents under the anti-stress control condition displayed better outcome. These findings suggest that previous victimization experiences of adolescents should be considered to select an appropriate intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teen dating violence (TDV) refers to a wide range of partner-directed harmful behaviors among adolescents. Since it was first documented in the 1980s, there is a growing interest in TDV due to its potentially devastating mid- and long-term consequences. Aiming at the early detection of TDV onset with prevention purposes, research has focused on the detection of typologies of perpetrators and/or victims as well as on identifying risk and protective factors for its occurrence. Research with Spanish adolescents, however, is very limited. To fill this gap, we recruited a total of 2,319 adolescents from different regions in Spain, out of which, 1,079 reported having had a romantic partner during the last year. These filled out measures of TDV (perpetration and victimization), school aggression, hostile and benevolent sexism, empathy, assertiveness, psychological inflexibility (general measures), and psychological inflexibility with prejudice thoughts. A cluster analysis revealed that adolescents could be divided into two clusters as a function of their TDV profile: Cluster 1, including close to 76% of the sample (boys and girls), presented low TDV perpetration and victimization; Cluster 2, including 24% of the sample (boys and girls), presented higher TDV perpetration and victimization. Regression analyses revealed that, as compared to those in Cluster 1, adolescents in Cluster 2 were more likely to be older boys who scored high in benevolent sexism, overt and relational school aggression, and personal distress, and low in behavior regulation skills, perspective taking, and practical personal ability. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design of evidence-based TDV prevention campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence has long-term negative consequences on children. In this study, men with a history of partner aggression and a control group of non-offenders were embodied in a child's body from a first-person perspective in virtual reality (VR). From this perspective, participants witnessed a scene of domestic violence where a male avatar assaulted a female avatar. We evaluated the impact of the experience on emotion recognition skills and heart rate deceleration responses. We found that the experience mainly impacted the recognition of angry facial expressions. The results also indicate that males with a history of partner aggression had larger physiological responses during an explicit violent event (when the virtual abuser threw a telephone) compared with controls, while their physiological reactions were less pronounced when the virtual abuser invaded the victim's personal space. We show that embodiment from a child's perspective during a conflict situation in VR impacts emotion recognition, physiological reactions, and attitudes towards violence. We provide initial evidence of the potential of VR in the rehabilitation and neuropsychological assessment of males with a history of domestic violence, especially in relation to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of consent is an essential characteristic of sexual violence. The present study was conducted to analyze the relation between sexual consent and the risk of perpetrating sexual aggression by men and victimization suffered by women in more depth. The sample consisted of 1681 heterosexual Spanish men and women aged 18–66 years. The participants completed an online survey containing the Spanish versions of the Sexual Consent Scale Revised and the Sexual Experiences Survey. The results showed that 70.2% of the women had been sexual victims, and 20.8% of men reported having perpetrated sexual violence. On the one hand, sexual aggressors, unlike non aggressors, underestimated the relevance of obtaining sexual consent, and more aggressors reported lack of perceived behavioral control for requesting sexual consent and endorsed less positive attitudes to obtain sexual consent than non aggressors. On the other hand, sexual victims, compared to non victims, considered requesting explicit sexual consent relevant, but held certain ideas, attitudes, and behaviors that did not go along with obtaining sexual consent, which leaves women in a position of vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) is difficult to assess, and rates vary widely across studies due to methodological and sample differences. In Spain, prevalence data from representative samples are lacking. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of different CSA experiences in a sample that was representative of the Spanish population in terms of gender, age, and region. The sample comprised 1,071 (539 male and 532 female) Spanish adults (M age = 45.37; SD = 14.84). Participants completed an anonymous online survey about different types of CSA and were asked whether they had disclosed the experience at the time. Prevalence was analyzed as a function of gender and generation. Results indicated prevalence rates ranging from 2.8% to 18.5%, depending on the type of experience. The most common experience suffered during childhood was being shown pornographic material, while that with the lowest prevalence was being forced to perform a sexual act involving penetration. Prevalence was higher in females than males for eight of the ten experiences considered. Young adults from Generation Z were the most likely to report having suffered three of the CSA experiences, two of them related to technology. Only 27.5% of respondents said that they had told someone about the abuse at the time, mainly their mother (more common among females) or a friend/peer (more frequent among males). The results suggest that CSA is prevalent in Spain, with considerable rates for several types of abusive experience, especially among females and the youngest generation. The implications of the results are discussed. The findings may inform social policy and the development of effective prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) research on immigrant women who are unauthorized is particularly scarce, despite unique vulnerabilities associated with their documentation status that may impact help-seeking and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to document the frequency of lifetime IPV and related help-seeking behaviors, and examine the relationship between IPV, major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among a community health center-based sample of unauthorized, Spanish-speaking immigrant women in Philadelphia. A clinic-based sample of unauthorized Spanish-speaking women (N = 200, ages 18-65) completed an anonymous, cross-sectional survey on IPV experiences, help-seeking behaviors, and self-reported health in 2013-2014. Chi-square tests assessed associations between sociodemographic variables and IPV. Multivariable logistic regression investigated whether IPV predicted mental health outcomes. Approximately one in three (34.5%) women reported lifetime IPV experiences. Of these, half (56.6%) sought help (formal n = 22; informal n = 25) because of the violence. Women identified not knowing where to go, believing that help was not necessary, and embarrassment as barriers to help-seeking. Symptoms consistent with MDD and PTSD were reported by 40.5% and 16% of the sample, respectively. In unadjusted logistic regression models, IPV survivors were more likely to endorse MDD and PTSD, and report low mental health HRQL scores than counterparts without IPV. In fully adjusted models, only the association between IPV and PTSD remained significant (OR: 3.80, p =.01). Study findings document high frequencies of IPV, MDD, and PTSD among this clinic-based sample of unauthorized immigrant women. Women who reported IPV also had a greater likelihood of reporting symptoms consistent with PTSD. Findings highlight the need for clinic-based mental health and trauma-informed services tailored to unauthorized immigrant women as well as interventions to decrease IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the prevalence and characteristics of sexual victimization experiences suffered by people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The sample consisted of 260 adults with an ID diagnosis (154 men and 106 women), ranging in age from 20 to 71 years (M = 41.69, SD = 12.05). The results showed that 35% of the sample had been sexually victimized at some point in their life. Being a woman, being declared legally incapable, and having comorbid mental health diagnoses were the most relevant characteristics of sexual victims with ID. Fondling was the most reported victimization, and rape showed the greatest gender differences, with a higher risk for women with ID of being raped compared to their male counterparts (odds ratio = 4.28, p <.05). The offender was generally a known male adult, and the percentage of incidents reported to the authorities was very low (7.4%). The psychological consequences of abuse were general distress, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology. Intervention and prevention programs targeting this population, as well as the training of professionals and caregivers, are essential to deal with sexual victimization and to protect and ensure the quality of life of people with ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incarcerated women are at high risk of exposure to traumatic events with subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study builds on prior research by adding new findings from Spain on the association between childhood and prison victimization, and negative emotional states with PTSD symptoms during incarceration among women. The study sample (N = 174) included female prison inmates enrolled from two prisons located in Southeast Spain. Participants completed self-report questionnaires including demographic and criminal variables, childhood and prison victimization (including emotional, physical and sexual victimization), negative emotional states (including depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms) and PTSD symptoms. Logistic regression analysis revealed that women screening positive for trauma had significantly greater odds for the assortment of childhood victimization, prison victimization (specifically physical victimization) and depression, anxiety, and stress. Current findings suggest a need to include these construct assessments in the screening and identification of PTSD among incarcerated women in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional regulation is crucial to psychological functioning and mental health. Studies of male batterers indicate the critical role that emotional processing plays in the violence they exert upon their partners or ex-partners. The aim of this study was to investigate the neural bases of emotional regulation in male batterers—both in experiencing and suppressing emotions—when faced with pictures of intimate partner violence (IPV). We conducted a fMRI study to compare brain functioning when emotions were experienced or increased with the case in which emotions were suppressed or reduced in response to IPV pictures and unpleasant pictures. The sample consisted of three groups: Male Batterers Group (MBG, n = 26), that is, men convicted for IPV; Other Offenders Group (OOG, n = 27), men convicted of crimes other than IPV; and a Non-offenders Group (n = 29), that is, men without a criminal history. The results reveal that in MBG, the brain areas that previous studies have related to suppression and experience processes were activated when faced with unpleasant pictures. However, a different pattern of functioning was found when experiencing IPV pictures. That could be explained by a low capacity to empathize with their partners or ex-partners and by the use of maladaptive emotional regulation strategies. In addition, MBG showed activation in brain areas previously related to suppression but did not modulate their emotions, showing a similar emotional state after suppression and experience. The results of this preliminary study suggest that in psychological treatments for male batterers, it is important to promote empathy towards partners or ex-partners, along with adaptive strategies of emotional regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are in a position to connect children and adolescents suspected of being victims of violence with an external source of support by making referrals to external agencies. However, several studies have identified obstacles that hinder early reporting among school staff members. Very few studies have applied a mixed-method approach to try to understand this sensitive issue. The current study used this approach to analyze to what extent the students suspected of being victimized match the ones reported by active school staff members in Spain (n = 453, 83.5% females, age: M = 42.23, SD = 9.46). We classified the reasons given for not reporting the potential victimization cases encountered and made comparisons to determine whether there were differences in the level of knowledge, or in the sociodemographic characteristics, of respondents who gave different reasons for not reporting. Although 73.5% of school staff members had detected at least one potential case, 40.8% of them referred it to an external agency. The most common reasons for lack of reporting included deciding not to do so once concerns had been shared within the school and believing that one must be certain or that only serious violence should be reported. The findings of this study may help to further understand the decisions not to report certain suspicions of potential victimization cases to external agencies by school staff. There is an urgent need to raise awareness about the duty to report these concerns to external agencies, even in the absence of agreement from the school management team. Members of school staff need to be strongly encouraged to become familiar with the existing protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines two indicators of developmental level (testosterone and grade) as moderators of the effects of a single-session incremental theory of personality intervention on both traditional and online aggressive behaviors. A sample of 535 Spanish adolescents (boys: 50%; age: 12–17 years) participated in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to receive the incremental theory of personality intervention or an alternative educational control condition. The intervention consisted of teaching the belief that people can change. Aggressive behaviors were measured at baseline, one-week posttest, and six-month and twelve-month follow-ups. Testosterone level moderated the effectiveness of the intervention for online aggressive behavior so that, among adolescents with low and medium testosterone levels, those in the control group increased online aggressive behavior, whereas adolescents receiving the intervention remained at similar levels of perpetration. Grade moderated the effectiveness of the intervention on both forms of aggressive behavior, being only effective in Grade 8. Overall, the findings indicate that some preventative interventions can be more effective among adolescents with lower levels of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of fatalities in Spain due to gender-based violence has increased in recent years, with a new rise in 2019, reaching the highest figure since 2015, a year that registered a peak with 60 victims. This article analyzes a database obtained from a survey on gender violence conducted by the Spanish Centre for Sociological Research. The survey, prepared by the Government Delegation for Gender Violence, consisted of interviews with women aged over 15 years living in 858 municipalities distributed over 50 provinces in Spain. The data reveal that most of the women interviewed have not suffered any type of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. Hence, the application of standard logistic methodologies which suppose symmetric responses, can lead to a poor specification of the model, a misinterpretation of marginal effects and unidentified predictors. It seems more appropriate to consider an asymmetric link function to explain the probability of abuse (physical, sexual, or psychological). The Bayesian methodology allows the incorporation of such an asymmetric function improving the specification of the model. In this article, we compare both methodologies and prove that Bayesian asymmetric performs better results by considering several diagnostic criteria. Furthermore, this methodology detects some significative factors that are not revealed by the classical method, e.g., the partner's nationality for sexual abuse or the women's total number of intimate partners for psychological abuse. Bayesian asymmetric estimations reveal no significance concerning to the lowest partner's level of education for physical abuse but if the intimate partner is currently studying this reduces the probability of sexual abuse. The woman's level of education is not relevant to the physical, sexual, or psychological abuses suffered. Therefore, the findings may help identify economic and sociological factors not previously considered in this area and highlight policies that may be adopted or revised to help overcome this social problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been related to brain alterations in female survivors. Nonetheless, few studies have used an exploratory approach, focusing on brain regions that are traditionally studied in other populations with post-traumatic stress. Traumatic brain injury (TBI), strangulation, and childhood trauma are highly prevalent among this population, and have also been associated with brain alterations and functional deterioration. As such, it is difficult to determine how different brain regions are affected by the complex interplay of these factors in female survivors. The aim of this study is to assess (a) brain alterations in female survivors of IPV as compared to non-victim females and (b) the potential causal mechanisms associated with such alterations. We hypothesized that structural brain differences would be found between female survivors of IPV and non-victims, and that these differences would be related to IPV-related TBI, strangulation, IPV severity, depression, post-traumatic stress, generalized anxiety, and childhood adverse experiences. A total of 27 non-victims and 28 survivors completed structural magnetic resonance imaging and questionnaires to measure the potential causal mechanisms for brain alterations. Structural brain differences were found between groups, principally in volumetric analyses. The brain regions in which between-group differences were found were related to attempted strangulation, IPV-related TBI, severity of IPV, adverse childhood experiences, and post-traumatic stress. These results demonstrate that a wider range of brain regions may be impacted by IPV and that various factors are implicated in the structural brain alterations found in female survivors. This study demonstrates the importance of post-traumatic stress, childhood and adult trauma, and physical violence in assessing brain alterations in IPV survivors. Further, it serves as a critical first step in assessing an extensive list of potential causal mechanisms for structural brain alterations, using a more comprehensive a whole-brain structural analysis of IPV female victims, a largely understudied and vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral convictions consist of assessments based on perceptions of morality and immorality, of right and wrong. There are people who, based on morality, commit crimes. For instance, social and moral norms based on inequality appear to play an important role in the batterer's behavior to commit violent acts. Research shows that batterers consider themselves to be moral persons, are defenders of their beliefs, and, if necessary, are self-delusional, enjoying a "feeling" of moral worth. The main aim of this work was to uncover the brain mechanisms underlying moral decision making related to intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study comparing moral decisions related to IPV and general violence (GV) in a sample of convicted Spanish men. The two groups of our sample were recruited from the Center for Social Insertion (CSI; Granada, Spain): batterers (BG, n = 21), people convicted for IPV, and other criminals (OCG, n = 20) convicted of violating other legal norms without violence against people. Greene's classical dilemmas were used to validate IPV and GV dilemmas. First, our results showed that IPV and GV dilemmas activate the same brain areas as those activated by Greene's dilemmas, primarily involving the default mode network (DMN), which suggests that IPV and GV dilemmas are both moral dilemmas. Second, our results showed that other criminals activated the DMN during both types of dilemmas. Nevertheless, batterers activated the DMN during the GV dilemmas but not during the IPV ones, suggesting that decisions about their female partners do not entail moral conflict. Thus, these preliminary results showed that batterers do not activate moral areas during IPV dilemmas specifically, but do so during GV dilemmas. These results suggest that intervention programs for batterers should aim to specifically modify the value system held by the abuser toward his female partner and not toward other people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays sexual violence among adolescents continues to be detected in schools. In this sense, several studies show the great importance of the interactions of boys and girls with people in their educational environment to configure their emotional and sexual identity, their beliefs about violence, and their relationship with sexual violence, being necessary to identify the actions that prevent sexual violence at schools. In the current article, and according to the literature review, a model based on structural equations is proposed to analyze the influence of students' relationships with one another, with the educational community (at the center, with faculty, staff, other workers), and families' relationships with the center as well as adolescents' own beliefs related to gender violence on being a victim, bystander, or aggressor of behaviors related to sexual violence in a sample of 4,273 Spanish students in secondary education. This model is replicated for only women (n = 2,022) and only men (n = 2,038). The results show that positive relationships are a protective factor against involvement in situations of sexual aggression, and they influence the acquisition of transformative beliefs regarding models of attraction and nonviolence. In turn, these beliefs even more obviously affect the prevention of this type of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the relationship linking social-interpersonal factors (interpersonal dependency, social support, social skills), cognitive-individual factors (planning behavior and goal efficacy), and different victimization and perpetration forms of cyber dating abuse (direct abuse, control abuse, and the combination of both abuse types). The responses of 1,657 Spanish university students were analyzed (62.1% females, 37.1% males). The multinomial logistic regression model revealed similarities among the three victim groups and revealed that anxious attachment and lack of social support increased the likelihood of direct victimization, control victimization, and direct/control victimization. Differences were found in the three victim groups for social skills and planning behavior. Perpetration was significantly associated with anxious attachment in the three cyber dating perpetration forms. Differences were also found in emotional dependency, social support, and social skills among direct perpetrators, control perpetrators, and direct/control perpetrators. The results revealed that interpersonal and cognitive factors correlated with cyber dating victimization and perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of 1,190 married Spanish community couples in opposite-sex relationships, this study evaluated a path analytic model exploring the associations between individual and dyadic factors and partner aggression for both males and females. Specifically, the perpetrator's report of their individual mental health symptomatology (borderline and antisocial traits, alcohol use), their report of relationship quality, and their report of perpetration were modeled to predict their partner's victimization. The resultant model exhibited good fit as measured by multiple indices for both male-to-female and female-to-male perpetration. Furthermore, results demonstrated that antisocial and borderline traits were associated with each other, that alcohol use was associated with perpetration, and that one partner's perpetration was associated with his or her partner's victimization for both males and females. However, the pattern of significant pathways between individual pathology and relationship violence differed somewhat for male-to-female and female-to-male aggression. Given the results, policy makers concerned about prevention of partner aggression may consider interventions aimed at symptoms associated with antisocial and borderline traits and substance use, and may identify differential targets for intervention based on the perpetrator's gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyberbullying is attracting social, political, and academic interest as the use of electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones by young people has increased dramatically. However, little is known about the factors involved in their perpetration, particularly in the context of college students' dating relationships. The aim of this study is to examine the involvement of college students in cyberbullying in the context of their dating relationships and to explore the impact of sexism on males' cyberbullying of their girlfriends. Participants are 219 undergraduate students from a university in the south of Spain. Results showed that 48.4% of participants reported having bullied their partners during the last year via mobile phone and 37.5% via Internet. Males reported a greater extent of cyberbullying of their girlfriends through both means. Regression analyses indicated that males' levels of hostile sexism are related to males' cyberbullying of their girlfriends. These findings suggest a modernization in the forms of violence toward women among college students and also expand current literature by revealing the influence of participants' hostile sexism on this type of cyber aggression against women in dating relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple victimization, or polyvictimization, is closely related to delinquency and crime, although few studies have studied these experiences in juvenile offenders. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present victimization rates in young offenders from a Southwestern European country. The sample consisted of 101 youth aged between 14 and 17 years, who were mainly recruited from detention centers (77.2%). From a lifetime perspective, the majority had suffered a criminal offense against the person (93.1%), exposure to community violence (95.0%), and peer victimization (86.1%). Prevalence rates for direct and indirect family violence were also high (63.4% and 43.6%). Electronic victimization reached a rate of 40.6% and sexual victimization of 15.8%. Past year experiences showed lower but similar patterns. Based on a community population criterion to define polyvictimization, 65.3% of the sample were considered lifetime polyvictims, while 41.6% were defined as past year polyvictims. Interventions to address multiple, concurrent forms of exposure to violence should be implemented in the justice system as polyvictimization has been revealed as a frequent reality in young offenders, which may result in antisocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]