Digital poly-victimization: The increasing importance of online crime and harassment to the burden of victimization

Abstract

Many forms of victimization, including bullying and property crime, are increasingly moving online, but most studies of poly-victimization still primarily focus on in-person crime and violence. Few studies have examined the importance of incorporating technology-based victimizations for assessing the true burden of violence. The purpose of this study is to explore whether digital poly-victimization contributes to post-traumatic stress and anxiety/dysphoria symptoms after controlling for in-person poly-victimization. Given that technology use and technology-based victimization are changing rapidly, a mixed methods approach was adopted. In the first two phases, focus groups and cognitive interviews (89 total participants) were used to identify the range of digital victimization and develop the Digital Poly-Victimization Scale. In the third phase, the new measure was included in a community survey (n = 478, 57.5% female; 62.6% earning under $50,000 per year) in a rural Southern region, along with measures of in-person poly-victimization, posttraumatic stress and anxiety/dysphoria symptoms, and other outcomes and personal characteristics. A comprehensive measure of digital poly-victimization indicated that almost 3 in 4 participants (72.3%) had experienced at least one form of digital victimization. The results indicated that digital poly-victimization contributed unique variance to post-traumatic stress and anxiety/dysphoria symptoms (p < .001), health-related quality of life (p < .01), and subjective and family well-being (both p < .001), even after controlling for demographics and in-person poly-victimization. Digital victimization often presents fewer risks to perpetrators and can be expected to represent an increasing share of the societal burden of violence. Future research on poly-victimization should pay more attention to the role of digital victimization.

Gender Differences in the Victim–Offender Relationship for On- and Offline Youth Violence

“…Finally, Vivolo-Kantor, Olsen, and Bacon (2016) found those who experience physical or sexual TDV are more likely to get into a fight and be bullied. Taken together, this research shows that the victim-offender overlap in youth violence is not necessarily relegated to one particular type of violence or modality (online, offline), but rather victimization within a given type of peer relationship can "spill over" and result in aggressive perpetration in another context (Hamby et al, 2018;Malik, Sorenson, & Aneshensel, 1997).…”

“…Youth violence includes multiple forms of aggression such as bullying and teen dating violence (TDV). Although frequently conceptualized and studied separately, research suggests that different forms of youth violence overlap and share similar root causes (Hamby et al, 2018; Wilkins, Tsao, Hertz, Davis, & Klevens, 2014). Thus, there is a need for research that uses a comprehensive view of youth violence inclusive of the different forms of aggression that encompass the spectrum of a child’s peer relationships (Finkelhor, Ormrod, & Turner, 2007).…”

“…This article aims to address two major gaps in the victim-offender literature for youth violence. First, the co-occurrence of multiple forms of violence can potentially trap high-risk youth in a “web of violence,” or ongoing and persistent victimization experiences that are difficult to escape (Finkelhor et al, 2007; Hamby et al, 2018). In spite of this reality, researchers tend to examine on- and offline experiences of youth violence apart from one another, making it difficult to examine how “cross-modal” victimization relates to aggressive perpetration.…”

Cybercrime Victimisation and Polyvictimisation in Finland—Prevalence and Risk Factors

“…Studies that also examine polyvictimisation in the online context are even rarer (e.g. Hamby et al, 2018).…”

“…Sargent and colleagues (Sargent et al, 2016) found that experiences of cybervictimisation and psychological intimate partner violence are associated with problematic mental health outcomes. A study by Hamby and colleagues (Hamby et al, 2018) found that digital polyvictimisation is associated with an increased risk for anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms.…”