The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire: Reliability, validity, and national norms

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 2005-04, Vol.29 (4), p.383-412
• Main Authors: Finkelhor, David, Hamby, Sherry L., Ormrod, Richard, Turner, Heather
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Assault; Biological and medical sciences; Caregivers; Child; Child abuse; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse, Sexual; Child Sexual Abuse; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Citizen Participation; Construct Validity; Crime; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire; Male; Measures (Individuals); Medical sciences; Methodology; National Norms; Norms; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Questionnaires; Reliability; Sexual abuse; Surveys and Questionnaires; Techniques and methods; Telephone Surveys; United States; Validity; Victimization; Victims of Crime
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.11.001

To assess the utility and performance of the 34-item Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) in eliciting the recent victimization experiences of a national sample of children ages 2–17. The JVQ was administered in a national random digit dial telephone survey about the experiences of 2,030 children. The experiences of children 10–17 years old were assessed through youth self-report on the JVQ, and the experiences of children 2–9 assessed through JVQ caregiver proxy report. Large numbers of recent victimizations were disclosed using the JVQ (71% of the sample reporting at least one victimization in the last year, with an average of 2.63 victimizations per child). There were few indicators of respondent confusion and little resistance to even the most sensitive questions. In a test of construct validity, endorsements of JVQ items correlated well with measures of traumatic symptoms. The instrument showed adequate test-retest reliability in a 3 to 4 week re-administration. Large numbers of victimizations were reported across the spectrum of ages, and there were no major discontinuities between the self-reports and proxy reports, suggesting that caregivers provided generally adequate and comparable information to child self-reports about the experiences of children under the age of 10. The JVQ has potential for use in future epidemiological research as well as clinical evaluation concerning the victimization of children. Objectif: Évaluer l’utilité et la performance d’un outil dit Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, contenant 34 composantes, et d’obtenir des renseignements sur les expériences récentes de victimes faisant partie d’un échantillon national d’enfants âgés de 2 à 17 ans. Méthode: Le questionnaire a été administré par le biais d’une enquête téléphonique nationale à caractère aléatoire portant sur les expériences de 2.030 enfants. Celles des enfants âgés de 10 à 17 ans ont été évaluées au moyen de témoignages par les jeunes eux-mêmes et, dans le cas des enfants âgés de 2 à 9 ans, au moyen des témoignages d’adultes qui s’occupaient d’eux. Résultats: L’administration du questionnaire a produit un grand nombre de témoignages de mauvais traitements récents (71% de l’échantillon rapporte au moins une expérience durant l’année précédente, et la moyenne est de 2.65 expériences par enfant.) On a noté peu de confusion de la part des participants de l’étude et peu de résistance devant les questions les plus délicates. Ayant testé la validité de l’instrume