Assessing Violence Against Children and Adolescents: A Developmental Victimology Approach in Spain

This study examined how often children and adolescents in Spain experience violence, including abuse by caregivers, peer victimization, sexual violence, and online harassment. Researchers used adapted versions of a questionnaire that asks young people directly about their experiences across multiple forms of violence. The findings show that many adolescents, particularly those already involved with child protection or judicial systems, experience multiple types of violence. The study calls for better tools and practices to identify and support victimized children early.

Key points

• High prevalence of polyvictimization found, particularly among adolescents in clinical, judicial, or child protection settings
• Study assessed six forms of violence: conventional crime, caregiver maltreatment, peer victimization, sexual victimization, community violence, and electronic victimization
• Multiple Spanish-adapted versions of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) were examined across different regions and at-risk populations
• Current assessment tools and early detection systems for child victimization are inadequate
• Research gap identified for children under age 12 and other vulnerable groups

Limitations

This is a prevalence and assessment study, not an intervention evaluation, so it describes the problem but cannot tell us what works to prevent or treat violence against children. The focus on self-reports and at-risk populations may not capture experiences of all children.