Violent Victimization Among Youth: What Difference Does a Nation Make?

• In Event: International Self-Report Delinquency (ISRD) Project: New Substantive and Methodological Insights

Abstract

Young people from all countries experience victimization at the hands of peers, adults, and others. Yet, we know little about the common and different predictors of violent victimization across nations, or how economic and social characteristics of nations may impact the risk of victimization for young people and condition the impact of common individual-level predictors of victimization risk. To this end, we compile data on socioeconomic inequality, human development, corruption, health and well-being, homicide, and gender inequality, and combine these measures with ISRD3 survey data from about 57,000 12-16 year-olds from 25 European countries and the United States to assess their impact on victimization risk among youth. We examine whether national-level characteristics impact youths' risk of violent victimization directly, as well as whether these characteristics differentially moderate the impact of common predictors of youth victimization within nations.

Authors

• Ineke Haen Marshall, Northeastern University

• Karen Heimer, University of Iowa

• Emilie Falguires, Northeastern University