The Effects of Victimization: How Past Exposure to Violence Influences Response to Future Threats

• In Event: Seeing it Through Their Eyes: Understanding and Intervening with Victims of Crime

Abstract

While prior research has established rates of different types of victimization among military service members, little attention has been paid to how exposure to victimization influences responses to future threats. This study compares response styles of individuals who have witnessed or been targets of threatening behavior to those who have not. Uniformed and civilian employees of the United States Military (N = 1266) completed an anonymous, online survey addressing exposure to violence and attitudes about reporting concerning behavior. Approximately one-third of respondents (n = 416) reported experiencing threatening behavior. Those who were targets (n = 102), as opposed to bystanders, took more informal action in response to the experienced event, such as collecting evidence, and were less likely to make a formal report, F(1,449) = 3.238, p<.001. Overall, participants who had experienced threatening behavior were significantly less likely than non-witnesses to report warning signs of violence in a future hypothetical scenario, F(1,1264) = 3.120, p<.001. Additional significant findings based on gender and victim status differences were noted. The implications of the findings to enhance reporting mechanisms for those who have previously been targets of concerning behavior as well as for violence prevention and management efforts will be discussed.

Authors

• Elizabeth C. Low, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Andrea Avila, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Mario J. Scalora, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Denise Bulling, University of Nebraska Public Policy Center

• Mark DeKraai, University of Nebraska Public Policy Center