The Developmental Nature of the Victim-Offender Overlap

Abstract

PurposeIt is well-established that victims and offenders are often the same people, a phenomenon known as the victim-offender overlap, but the developmental nature of this overlap remains uncertain. In this study, we drew from a developmental theoretical framework to test effects of genetics, individual characteristics, and routine-activity-based risks. Drawing from developmental literature, we additionally tested the effect of an accumulation of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).MethodsData came from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Study, a representative UK birth cohort of 2232 twins born in 1994–1995 and followed to age 18 (with 93% retention). Crime victimization and offending were assessed through self-reports at age 18 (but findings replicated using crime records). We used the classical twin study method to decompose variance in the victim-offender overlap into genetic and environmental components. We used logistic regression to test the effects of childhood risk factors.ResultsIn contrast to past twin studies, we found that environment (as well as genes) contributed to the victim-offender overlap. Our logistic regression results showed that childhood low self-control and childhood antisocial behavior nearly doubled the odds of becoming a victim-offender, compared to a victim-only or an offender-only. Each additional ACE increased the odds of becoming a victim-offender, compared to a victim-only or an offender-only, by approximately 12%, pointing to the importance of cumulative childhood adversity.ConclusionsThis study showed that the victim-offender overlap is, at least partially, developmental in nature and predictable from personal childhood characteristics and an accumulation of many adverse childhood experiences.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40865-017-0068-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Further Evaluating the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Antisocial Behavior, and Violent Victimization: A Sibling-Comparison Analysis

“…After controlling for genetic and shared environmental confounders (i.e., single-parent household and parental incarceration) in the sibling-comparison models, as well as observed child-specific characteristics (i.e., birth order, maternal age at birth, and sex) to better isolate the environmental influence of ACEs, all direct associations were no longer statistically significant. Accordingly, generated findings from the current study indicate that while traditional between-family analyses report that ACEs are linked to antisocial behavior and victimization, the direct effect of ACEs on these outcomes may be overestimated due to familial factors (Beckley et al, 2018; Connolly & Kavish, 2018). Some readers may reasonably question how this could be the case, given that a wealth of research has reported statistically significant associations between child maltreatment, antisocial behavior, and future victimization.…”

Sextortion Among Adolescents: Results From a National Survey of U.S. Youth

“…Apart from focusing exclusively on victims or offenders, substantial evidence exists to suggest a third category of participant in these types of behaviors—that of “victim-offenders” or individuals who have experience as both targets and aggressors (Beckley et al, 2018; Jennings, Piquero, & Reingle, 2012; Posick, 2013). This overlap has been found for bullying (Haynie et al, 2001; Salmivalli & Nieminen, 2002; Veenstra et al, 2005), sexual abuse (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005; Jennings & Meade, 2016; Veneziano, Veneziano, & LeGrand, 2000), cyberbullying (Hinduja & Patchin, 2015; Marcum, Higgins, Freiburger, & Ricketts, 2014; Mishna, Khoury-Kassabri, Gadalla, & Daciuk, 2012), and dating violence (Espelage & Holt, 2007; Yahner, Dank, Zweig, & Lachman, 2015).…”

Risk of Subjection to Violence and Perpetration of Violence in Persons With Psychiatric Disorders in Sweden

“…17,18 Second, twin and family studies have reported that psychiatric disorders, violent crime, and subjection to violence tend to aggregate in families, but their etiological associations remain poorly understood. 5,19,20 The literature suggests, however, that the estimates in the studies examining associations between psychiatric disorders and subjection to violence may have been biased upwards because of substantial unmeasured familial confounding.…”