Funding: Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Project period: 2020–2023
Researchers: Lars Roar Frøyland (project manager), Patrick Lie Andersen, Lihong Huang, Kari Stefansen
This project will cover two main topics: societal trends in young people’s exposure to violence and abuse and adult life consequences of violent victimization during childhood and adolescence.
Societal trends in exposure to violence
NOVA’s two previous UngVold-surveys showed trends in young people’s exposure to violence and abuse from 2007 to 2015. An especially interesting finding was how trends in less severe and more severe violence from parents differed greatly, where only the level of less severe violence declined in this time period.
The surveys also uncovered stable trends for sexual violence, even though public and policy attention towards the phenomenon have been considerable in later years (Mossige & Stefansen, 2016). Knowledge on whether the trends persist are important when discussing current policy development.
In this part of the project, we will discuss questions such as:
- Do associations between violence and adult life functioning vary according to the type of violence?
- Does the long-term impact of violence differ according to characteristics of the offender and the violent act?
- Why do some victims experience serious long-term consequences of violence, while others manage to cope with their experiences?
- What characterizes those who experience the most profound consequences of violent exposure during childhood and adolescence?
Consequences of violence during childhood and adolescence
Being exposed to violence during childhood and adolescence is related to a range of adverse adult life outcomes. Yet, we lack detailed knowledge on variation in how different types of violence are related to adult life functioning and whether adverse outcomes of violence vary according to social and demographic characteristics of the victims. This knowledge is important for designing violence prevention measures, as it can facilitate targeted prevention efforts towards violent acts known to profoundly impact later life functioning or victims that are particularly vulnerable for suffering vast consequences of their experiences.
In this part of the project, we will discuss questions such as: Do associations between violence and adult life functioning vary according to the type of violence? Does the long-term impact of violence differ according to characteristics of the offender and the violent act? Why do some victims experience serious long-term consequences of violence, while others manage to cope with their experiences? What characterizes those who experience the most profound consequences of violent exposure during childhood and adolescence?
Data and methods
The project is based on quantitative data from the UngVold surveys, which are school-based survey studies with large numbers of participants and high response rates. To continue the investigation of societal trends in exposure to violence, we will conduct a new cross-sectional UngVold survey in 2023.
This enables analyses of societal trends in exposure to violence over a 15-year period. Additionally, the responses from the UngVold 2007 participants are linked to data from official registers on education, reception of welfare benefits, employment, and crime, enabling analyses of long-term outcomes of exposure to violence during childhood and adolescence.
Contact
For questions about the project, contact the principal investigator Lars Roar Frøyland, e-mail: lrfroy@oslomet.no.