Examining the Links Between Child Maltreatment, Risky Behavior, and Adulthood Revictimization: A Life Course Perspective

Child maltreatment can lead to maladaptive coping; therefore, focusing on high-risk behaviors is key to understanding victimization in adulthood. This study examines the extent to which high-risk behaviors mediate between child maltreatment and adulthood victimization using life course theory as a g...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Wingert, Anne C. (Author) ; Azimi, Andia M. (Author) ; Lara, Karmen A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Victims & offenders
Year: 2025, Volume: 20, Issue: 5/6, Pages: 1005-1030
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
risky sexual behavior
Delinquency
Substance Use
life-course perspective
Revictimization
Child Maltreatment
Description
Summary:Child maltreatment can lead to maladaptive coping; therefore, focusing on high-risk behaviors is key to understanding victimization in adulthood. This study examines the extent to which high-risk behaviors mediate between child maltreatment and adulthood victimization using life course theory as a guiding framework. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 14,526) is used for the analysis. The findings underline the salience of child maltreatment as a turning point and high-risk behaviors in maintaining trajectories that lead to later victimization. The mixed mediation findings underscore the nuance surrounding mechanisms fostering victimization across the life course.
ISSN:1556-4991
DOI:10.1080/15564886.2025.2502410