Disability and Victimization in a National Sample of Children and Youth

TLDR

Past research indicates higher rates of violence, crime, and abuse among children with disabilities, yet studies often combine diverse disabilities and assess only one victimization type. The study aims to examine associations between various disability types and past‑year victimization among children. It analyzes a representative national sample of 4,046 children aged 2–17 from the 2008 National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence. Results reveal that ADHD/ADHD elevates risk for peer victimization and property crime; internalizing disorders increase risk for maltreatment and sexual victimization; developmental/learning disorders raise only property crime risk; physical disability shows no increased risk after controlling for confounders; overall, disabilities linked to interpersonal and behavioral difficulties are most strongly associated with victimization.

Abstract

Although past research has found higher rates of violence, crime, and abuse among children with disabilities, most studies combine diverse forms of disability into one measure and assess exposure to only one particular type of victimization. Based on a representative national sample of 4,046 children aged 2–17 from the 2008 National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, the present study examines the associations between several different types of disability and past-year exposure to multiple forms of child victimization. Results suggest that attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit with hyperactivity disorder elevates the risk for peer victimization and property crime, internalizing psychological disorders increase risk for both child maltreatment and sexual victimization, and developmental/learning disorders heighten risk only for property crime. In contrast, physical disability did not increase the risk for any type of victimization once confounding factors and co-occurring disabilities were controlled. It appears that disabilities associated with interpersonal and behavioral difficulties are most strongly associated with victimization risks.