The Effect of Polyvictimization on the Development of Moral Disengagement and Effects on Violent offending in Adulthood: Emotional and Cognitive Mediation Effects

ABSTRACT

Polyvictimization, moral disengagement, impulse control, and hostility are all risk factors for violent offending. The present study tested a multiple mediation model to identify pathways leading from polyvictimization early in life to violent offending risk in adulthood. The Pathways to Desistance data were used in analyses. Group-based trajectory modeling was utilized to identify developmental heterogeneity in moral disengagement during adolescence. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to estimate multiple mediation pathways. Results indicated that a two-group moral disengagement model best fit the data. Increased polyvictimization scores at baseline predicted increased risk for violent offending in adulthood. This relationship was mediated by differential development of moral disengagement, hostility in adulthood, and impulse control in adulthood. The full path running from polyvictimization to differential development of moral disengagement to impulse control to violent offending was found to be significant. These findings indicate that polyvictimization may lead to high and chronic levels of moral disengagement, which may then lead to diminished impulse control, and that this entire sequence may increase violent offending risk.

KEYWORDS:

• polyvictimization
• moral disengagement
• development
• violent offending

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The following types of victimization were included in analyses: chased where you thought you might be seriously hurt?; beaten up, mugged, or seriously threatened by another person?; raped, had someone attempt to rape you or been sexually attacked in some other way?; attacked with a weapon, like a knife, box cutter, or bat?; shot at?; shot?

2. The following individual items were included in analyses: It is alright to protect your friends; Slapping and shoving someone is just a way of joking; Damaging some property is no big deal when you consider that others are beating people up; A kid in a gang should not be blamed for the trouble the gang causes; kids are living under bad conditions they cannot be blamed for behaving aggressively; It is okay to tell small lies because they don’t really do any harm; Some people deserve to be treated like animals; If kids fight and misbehave in school it is their teacher’s fault; It is alright to beat someone who bad mouths your family; To hit obnoxious classmates is just giving them “a lesson”; Stealing some money is not too serious compared with those who steal a lot of money; A kid who suggests breaking rules should not be blamed if other kids go ahead and do it; If kids are not disciplined they should not be blamed for misbehaving; Children do not mind being teased because it shows interest in them; It is okay to treat badly somebody who behaved like a “worm” or a “low life”; If people are careless where they leave their things it is their own fault it they get stolen; It is alright to fight when your group’s honor is threatened; Taking someone’s bicycle without their permission is just ‘borrowing it; It is okay to insult a classmate because beating him/her is worse; If a group decides together to do something harmful it is unfair to blame any kids in the group for it; Kids cannot be blamed for using bad words when all their friends do it; Teasing someone does not really hurt them; Someone who is obnoxious does not deserve to be treated like a human being; Kids who get mistreated usually do things that deserve it; It is alright to lie to keep your friends out of trouble; It is not a bad thing to “get high” once in a while; Compared with the illegal things people do, taking some things from a store without paying for them is not very serious; It is unfair to blame a child who had a small part in the harm caused by a gang.; Kids cannot be blamed for misbehaving if their friends pressured them to do it; Insults among children do not hurt anyone; Some people have to be treated roughly because they lack feelings that can be hurt; Children are not at fault for misbehaving if their parents force them too much.

3. Control covariates are omitted for clarity of presentation.