Abstract
Background
Little research has examined the locations in which youth are victimized, particularly outside the school context. Further, it is not clear if the locations in which youth are victimized vary as a function of grade level or gender.
Objective
The goals of the current study were to: (1) Determine the locations inside and outside of the school context in which elementary school students are most likely to report being victimized, and (2) Examine whether the locations in which victimization takes place varies by grade level and gender.
Methods
Associations were examined in a sample of 186 2nd thru 5th grade students (52 % male) who reported experiencing victimization.
Results
The playground was the most common place in which victimization was reported, followed by home and the neighborhood. Boys were more likely than girls to report being victimized on the bus or during a sporting activity, while girls were more likely than boys to report being victimized at home. No grade level effects were found, suggesting that specific locations of victimization did not become more or less evident at older grade levels.
Conclusions
Findings indicate that there are many locations inside and outside the school context that need to be further monitored for the prevention of victimization and that gender differences may need to be considered.
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Fite, P.J., Williford, A., Cooley, J.L. et al. Patterns of Victimization Locations in Elementary School Children: Effects of Grade Level and Gender. Child Youth Care Forum 42, 585–597 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-013-9219-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-013-9219-9