Experiences of Bias Victimization Among People With Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

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, rrb=.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.

Experiences of verbal violence among people with intellectual disabilities in Israel

“…Many studies deal with sexual violence and physical violence towards people with intellectual disabilities (Courtenay & Perera, 2020; Mailhot Amborski et al, 2022; Tomsa et al, 2021), but verbal violence and its consequences does not receive the attention it deserves in the research literature (Karni‐Vizer & Neuman, 2023). Persons with intellectual disabilities experience isolation, dehumanisation, objectification, and hostility from the society (Díaz‐Faes et al, 2023; Nario‐Redmond et al, 2019) that are key cultural and social drivers of poorer health, oppression, stigma, ableism, and negative attitudes towards them (Ditchman et al, 2016).…”

“…People with disabilities are at increased risk of experiencing violence compared to people without disabilities (Díaz‐Faes et al, 2023; Hughes et al, 2012; Jones et al, 2012; Mailhot Amborski et al, 2022). Studies show that people with disabilities experience various types of violence at rates of 1.5 to 4 times greater than people without disabilities (Araten‐Bergman & Bigby, 2020; Dembo et al, 2018; Lund, 2020; Stone, 2018).…”