TY - JOUR
T1 - Sexual Revictimization
T2 - A Routine Activity Theory Explanation
AU - Culatta, Elizabeth
AU - Clay-Warner, Jody
AU - Boyle, Kaitlin M.
AU - Oshri, Assaf
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2017.
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - Research has shown that victims of sexual assault are at a significant risk of revictimization. We use routine activity theory to predict how sexual victimization in adolescence relates to depression, substance use, and ultimately revictimization as a young adult. We frame our research within routine activity theory and predict that sexual victimization increases substance use and depressive symptoms, both of which increase the likelihood of revictimization. We test the hypotheses with three waves of data from the Longitudinal Study of Violence Against Women. Using structural equation modeling, we examine the direct and indirect effects of previous sexual victimization, depressive symptoms, and substance use on the odds of victimization during the sophomore year of college. Results suggest that sexual victimization during the sophomore year of college is predicted directly by previous sexual victimization and also indirectly through depressive symptomology, though not substance use. Although understudied in the literature, depression is shown to mediate the relationship between victimization and revictimization, and this finding is consistent with routine activity theory, as well as the state dependence perspective on revictimization. Our findings suggest that depressive symptoms, a long acknowledged consequence of sexual victimization, should also be understood as a source of revictimization risk, indicating the importance of depression screening and intervention for decreasing sexual victimization.
AB - Research has shown that victims of sexual assault are at a significant risk of revictimization. We use routine activity theory to predict how sexual victimization in adolescence relates to depression, substance use, and ultimately revictimization as a young adult. We frame our research within routine activity theory and predict that sexual victimization increases substance use and depressive symptoms, both of which increase the likelihood of revictimization. We test the hypotheses with three waves of data from the Longitudinal Study of Violence Against Women. Using structural equation modeling, we examine the direct and indirect effects of previous sexual victimization, depressive symptoms, and substance use on the odds of victimization during the sophomore year of college. Results suggest that sexual victimization during the sophomore year of college is predicted directly by previous sexual victimization and also indirectly through depressive symptomology, though not substance use. Although understudied in the literature, depression is shown to mediate the relationship between victimization and revictimization, and this finding is consistent with routine activity theory, as well as the state dependence perspective on revictimization. Our findings suggest that depressive symptoms, a long acknowledged consequence of sexual victimization, should also be understood as a source of revictimization risk, indicating the importance of depression screening and intervention for decreasing sexual victimization.
KW - depression
KW - revictimization
KW - routine activity theory
KW - sexual victimization
KW - substance use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042279338&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85042279338&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0886260517704962
DO - 10.1177/0886260517704962
M3 - Article
C2 - 29294726
AN - SCOPUS:85042279338
SN - 0886-2605
VL - 35
SP - 2800
EP - 2824
JO - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
JF - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
IS - 15-16
ER -