Sex and age effects in past-year experiences of violence amongst adolescents in five countries

Abstract

Purpose To date, there has been insufficient focus on age and sex differences in studies of violence amongst adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries. As adolescence is a formative period during which experiencing violence can have both short- and long-term consequences, we aim to investigate experiences of violence by age and sex across five countries. Methods Incidences of past-year violence victimization were estimated by sex across two-year age bands (13–24 years) using Violence Against Children Survey datasets from Cambodia, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania. Analyses were conducted separately for each country. The presence of an association with age and each type of violence was identified using logistic regressions separately by sex. Sex was then added to the models as an interaction term and adjusted Wald tests were used to assess differences between males and females in age effects. Results Risk of physical violence by both an adult caregiver and a community member decreased with age for both sexes in all countries. In contrast, risk of IPV increased with age for both sexes in all countries. Although some countries displayed a steeper increase in risk of IPV and sexual violence with age for males, females face higher overall levels of risk for these forms of violence. Conclusion Findings highlight how adolescents’ and young adults’ risk of violence changes with age and type of violence. The analysis underscores the importance of collecting violence data disaggregated by age and sex to best inform policies and programming. Implications and contributions We analyzed five Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) and found age effects for physical, sexual, and intimate partner violence for adolescents 13–24 years old. Age effects for sexual violence are stronger among females than males. Future policies targeting adolescents should consider how age and gender influence risk of violence.

Experiences of violence among female and male grade eight learners: baseline findings from the Girls Achieve Power (GAP Year) trial across three South African townships

“…This is confirmed by other recent South African studies 3,25,26 , indicating that boys were more likely to report some form of abuse in their lifetimes, although those forms tend to be different, compared to girls. We found that both boys and girls experienced similar rates of physical, psychological and sexual violence: these findings are confirmed by other studies 12,25 . Interestingly, girls experienced almost double the economic abuse as their male counterparts.…”

“…Violence during childhood and adolescence can have lifelong adverse health, social and economic consequences 7 , increasing vulnerability to HIV acquisition 8 due to risky sexual behaviours, poor school performance 9,10 and higher levels of depression and suicide ideation 11 . Sex and gender become increasingly important when assessing vulnerability to violence 12 and the social factors and biological changes that take place during adolescence, as these result in gendered differences in experiences of violence 13 . Current research highlights that girls are at higher risk of sexual violence compared to boys 12,14,15 , however, few papers report on risk factors associated with ever experiencing violence 16 .…”

“…Sex and gender become increasingly important when assessing vulnerability to violence 12 and the social factors and biological changes that take place during adolescence, as these result in gendered differences in experiences of violence 13 . Current research highlights that girls are at higher risk of sexual violence compared to boys 12,14,15 , however, few papers report on risk factors associated with ever experiencing violence 16 .…”

Improving measurement of child abuse and neglect: A systematic review and analysis of national prevalence studies

“…Generally, studies using the JVQ asked the most detailed follow-up questions. Obtaining information about the severity, frequency, timing, and relational setting of abuse and neglect is important, since the closeness of the relationship between the person maltreating the child and the child can have significant effects [102][103], and the timing of maltreatment is also important, with studies finding effects for both sex and age [104]. From a public health perspective, the measurement of maltreatment should ideally move beyond raw prevalence, and yield sufficiently sensitive and nuanced information about these key contextual features of the maltreatment to inform future public health policy and prevention efforts, including the indication of priority areas for responses.…”

Associations of physical partner violence and sexual violence victimization on health risk behaviours and mental health among university students from 25 countries

“…Intimate partner violence (IPV) and other violence among adolescents and emerging adults is being increasingly recognized as common and having a wide range of health, behavioural and well-being consequences [1]. Various studies have identified that a history physical IPV and/or sexual violence victimization among male and/or female adolescents or emerging adults is associated with sexual risk behaviours, violence related behaviours, poor mental health, substance use, other health risk behaviours, poor health status and poor academic performance.…”