The effects of early childhood victimization on SES: a sociological analysis

Victimization in the U.S. affects millions of people each year. Past research has focused on the effects of victimization on psychological and physical outcomes. This study adds to past research by assessing the effects of early childhood (i.e., before grade 6) parent physical and sexual victimization on young adult socioeconomic status (i.e., income and educational attainment), a sociological outcome. Data are from Add Health (N=4,206). The life course perspective serves as a theoretical framework for the analyses. In addition, this study examines subjective and objective social integration with parents and friends as a pathway through which early childhood victimization may affect long-term SES outcomes, and considers race and sex differences in the effects of victimization. The study uses a comprehensive set of background SES controls, including parent education and parent income, as well as family structure controls (e.g., parent marital status, single parent home). Results were mixed and suggest that early childhood parent victimization affects SES in complex ways, depending on the type and severity of victimization. In general, physical victimization was a significant and negative predictor of adult educational attainment, and sexual victimization was a significant and negative predictor of adult personal annual income. Severity of physical victimization was significantly related to educational outcomes, while severity of sexual victimization did not affect income. Social integration mediated some of the relationships between victimization and SES. Race and sex differences in the effects of victimization on SES provide tentative support for the application of cumulative disadvantage theory. Overall, results suggest that future research should consider various aspects of victimization (e.g., type and timing), as well important demographic differences in responses to victimization.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Katherine Ann Thurma