Victimization and poly-victimization among school-aged Chinese adolescents: prevalence and associations with health.

Abstract

Given the limited number of systematic studies on child victimization in China, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of child victimization and poly-victimization, and to examine the associations between victimization and negative health outcomes. Using a 2-stage stratified sampling procedure, 18,341 adolescents aged 15 to 17 years old were recruited from 6 cities in China during 2009 and 2010. Adolescents completed a self-administered questionnaire containing items about child victimization and health outcomes (e.g. health-related quality of life, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, deliberate self-harm, and suicide ideation). Structured multiphase logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between these factors. The lifetime prevalence of at least one form of victimization was 71%, whereas that of poly-victimization was 14%. Child victimization in the preceding year was associated with gender, age, number of siblings, and location of schools. Child victims were more likely to report PTSD and depressive symptoms, self-harm ideation, and poor physical and mental health. This study provided reliable estimates of the association between child victimization and health using a large and diverse sample in China. Based on the nature of the documented associations, several suggestions for public health professionals were offered.