title: Polyvictimization and risk for suicidal phenomena in a community sample of Spanish adolescents.
abstract: This study aims to provide data regarding the association between reported degree of victimization and suicidal phenomena, with special emphasis on gender differences. There were 923 adolescents recruited from eight secondary schools in Catalonia, Spain. The Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) were used to assess suicidal phenomena and victimization, respectively. Participants were divided into three groups (nonvictim, victim, and polyvictim groups) according to the total number of different kinds of victimization reported. Results showed that the polyvictim group reported significantly more suicidal phenomena than did the victim and nonvictim groups in both boys and girls. Furthermore, although no gender differences in reported suicidal phenomena were found in the nonvictim group, girls reported significantly more suicidal phenomena in both the victim and the polyvictim groups. In conclusion, the results suggest that victimization may play an important role in generating gender differences with respect to reported suicidal phenomena. In addition, this study highlights the importance of taking into account the whole range of victimizations suffered by adolescents when seeking to design suicide prevention and intervention policies.
authors.affiliation: University of Barcelona, Spain. s_laia@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.affiliation: University of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.affiliation: University of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.affiliation: University of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forns
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012649:Self Concept; D013030:Spain; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D059020:Suicidal Ideation