Examining an Indirect Pathway from the Variety of Stressful Life Events to Violent Victimization through Acquired Psychological Symptoms

The effects of stressful life events on violent victimization have been well established. The existing literature, however, remains relatively limited in examining the indirect association between stressful life events and violent victimization through acquired psychological processes. The current study examines the mediating effects of the co-occurrence of negative psychological symptoms (adverse psychological effects) on the association between stressful life events and violent victimization. The results of two structural equation models, estimated using the NLSY 1997 cohort, demonstrate that a variety of stressful life events and violent victimization had a positive indirect effect on violent victimization through adverse psychological effects. The results were only slightly attenuated when self-reported number of arrests was introduced as a covariate of violent victimization in the SEM. The findings suggest that exposure to a variety of stressful life events and violent victimization can influence psychological symptoms and increase subsequent violent victimization.