DOCSLIB.ORG

2018 NCVRW Resource Guide: Youth Victimization Fact Sheet

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2018 NCVRW Resource Guide: Youth Victimization Fact Sheet H D T E C N I R A C P L X E E R Youth Victimization S E A M I C T H C A L L V I Young children and adolescents are victims of the same crimes as adults (e.g., theft, assault), but as an age group they are also more vulnerable to crimes like neglect, medical neglect, and psychological abuse. This victimization can be difficult to capture. Combined with stringent guidelines regarding data collection from minors, researchers often struggle to gather comprehensive data on childhood victimization.A While age and dependence contribute to higher levels of vulnerability among youth, certain environments also pose a greater threat than others. Childhood exposure to victimization increases the probability of experiencing future victimization as well as multiple forms of victimization (polyvictimization), which increases risk factors over time.B For more on youth victimization, see the School Victimization and Campus Victimization fact sheets in this series. CRIME TRENDS 200 From 1995 to 2015, the rate of violent victimization— 175 The rate of other forms of known victimization remained robbery, rape/sexual assault, aggravated assault, and 150 fairly constant between 2009 and 2014. In 2014, about 7 simple assault—reported by adolescents age 12 to 17 125 of every 1,000 youth age 0 to 17 were victims of neglect. 100 decreased from 156 to 31 violent victimizations for every 75 Fewer than 2 of every 1,000 youth were victims of physical 1,000 adolescents. Similarly, the rate of serious violent 50 abuse, and less than 1 of every 1,000 were victims of sexual, victimization (which does not include simple assault) also 25 medical neglect, or psychological abuse in 2014.D 0 decreased from 43 serious violent victimizations for every 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 C D 1,000 adolescents in 1995 to 8 per 1,000 in 2015. Youth Violent Victimization, Victimization AgeSerious 0–17, Violent Victimizationby Type rate per 1,000 youth C Adolescent Victimization, Age 12–17, by Type 10 rate per 1,000 adolescents 9 10 8 8.1 200 7 7.1 175200 6 150 Violent victimization 5 Neglect Sexual abuse 4 125156 Serious violent victimization Physical abuse Psychological abuse 3 1.8 1.6 100 Medical neglect 2 1.0 0.8 75 1 0.8 0.6 43 50 31 0 0.3 0.2 20092009 20102010 20112011 20122012 20132013 20142014 25 8 Neglect Physical Sexual Medical Neglect Psychological Abuse 0 19951995 19971997 19991999 20012001 20032003 20052005 20072007 20092009 20112011 20132013 20152015 Violent Victimization Serious Violent Victimization DID YOU KNOW? 10A higher percentage (2.4%) of adolescents age 12 to 17 9 experienced at least one instance of violent victimization 8 The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System 7compared to people age 25 to 34 (1.6%), and those 35 and (NCANDS) collects and analyzes data on child abuse and 6older (0.9%). Of those adolescents who do experience violent 5 neglect in the United States submitted by mandated re- 4victimization, 1.5% were victims of a single violent crime and porters, as well as reports by family, friends, and neighbors. 3 E 20.5% were victims of repeat violent crimes. 1 In 2015, more than 683,000 children were victims of child E 0 Prevalence of Violent Crime 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 abuse or neglect, and 1,670 died as a result. NCANDS F Neglect by Physicalsingle andSexual repeat victimizationMedical Neglect andPsychological age Abuse refers to these deaths as child fatalities: 1.9 12–17 Of child fatality victims in 2015, 74.8% were younger than 0.5 F 3 years old. 1.8 18–24 0.4 31 states reported on preservation services. Of these, 1.3 25–34 0.3 12% of child fatality victims received family preservation Single violent victimization F 35+ 0.7 services within the previous 5 years. 0.2 Repeat violent victimization 2% 2018 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheets CURRENT DATA ON YOUTH VICTIMIZATION Victimization by AgeF In 2015, youth less than one year of age were rate per 1,000 children the most vulnerable, accounting for 14% of 30 all known youth victimization. The average 24.2 rate of victimization for this age group (24.2 per 1,000) was more than 2.5x higher than the rate of victimization for all youth (9.2 per 1,000). The rate of victimization for youth 1 to 11.8 11.3 10.7 10.5 10.5 10 years of age was greater than the rate of 10.3 9.6 8.8 8.0 7.3 6.8 6.8 6.9 6.8 victimization for youth 10 to 16. Youth age 17 6.5 5.6 F were the least vulnerable to victimization. Parent 3.5 Other Relative <1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Unmarried15 16 Partner17 Multiple Other Unknown In 2015, 78% of child victimization perpetrators were At least one parent is responsible in 78% of child fatalities parents of the victim. Other perpetrators were relatives (6%), resulting from maltreatment–neglect or medical neglect, unmarried partners (4%), or multiple perpetrators (4%).F or any form of physical, psychological, or sexual abuse. Specifically, in 27% of child fatality cases, the mother alone Child Victimization by Perpetrator’s was responsible, while in 15% of cases the father alone was Relationship to VictimF responsible. In 22% of cases, both parents were responsible.F Fatalities by Perpetrators Relationship to Victim Parent (78%) Fatalities by Perpetrator’s Relationship to VictimF Other relative (6%) Parent UnmarriedOther Relative partner (4%) Parents MultipleUnmarried relationships Partner (4%) Parents (64%) Parents and Non-Parents Multiple Other (6%) Parents and non-parentsOther Relative (14%) Other Unknown (2%) Child Daycare Provider Unknown Other relative (4%) Daycare providerOther (2%) Other (16%) Compared to all measured races and ethnicities, African AmericanFatalities and Americanby Perpetrators Indian/Alaska Relationship to Native Victim youth are the most vulnerable to victimization (14.5 per 1,000 youth and 13.8 per 1,000 youth, respectively). In 2015, the rate of Parents victimization among African AmericanParents and and American Non-Parents Indian/ SOURCES Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth was moreOther than Relative 8x that of Asian Child Daycare Provider A “Prevalence of Child Victimization, Abuse, Crime, and Violence Exposure,” youth and more than 1.2x greater thanOther youth of any other in J.W. White, M.P. Koss, and A.E. Kazdin (Eds.), Violence Against Women and race or ethnicity.F Children: Mapping the Terrain, (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2011), 9-28 Victimization by Race and EthnicityF B David Finkelhor et al., National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence rate per 1,000 youth (2015), “Prevalence of Childhood Exposure to Violence, Crime, and Abuse,” http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2344705 African American 14.5 C Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, Concatenated File, 2015, (U.S. Department of Justice) AI/AN 13.8 D Child Trends, “Child Maltreatment 2016,” (based on CDC data), www. childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/40_appendix2.pdf Multiple races 10.4 E Barbara A. Ouderkerk and Jennifer Truman, “Repeat Violent Victimization, Pacific Islander 8.8 2005-14,” (2017), www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rvv0514.pdf F Children’s Bureau, Child Maltreatment 2015, (U.S. Department of Hispanic 8.4 Health & Human Services, 2017), www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/child- maltreatment-2015 White 8.1 Asian 1.7 20 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention
    Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention Compiled by: Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D. | Director Heather Cosgrove | Graduate Assistant Rebecca E. Ligman, M.S.Ed. | Program and Operations Manager June 2012 The Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention will reduce bullying abuse in schools and in the community by contributing knowledge and providing evidence-based tools to effectively change the language, attitudes, and behaviors of educators, parents, students, and society. Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D. | Director Rebecca E. Ligman, M.S.Ed. | Program and Operations Manager Heather Cosgrove | Graduate Assistant Michelle Serwacki | Graduate Assistant Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention Graduate School of Education University at Buffalo, The State University of New York 428 Baldy Hall Buffalo, NY 14260-1000 P: (716) 645-1532 F: (716) 645-6616 [email protected] gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter We extend our sincere gratitude to the many groups and individuals who gave their time, energy, and valuable input during this needs assessment process. We thank the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York, Western New York Educational Services Council, and the Western New York School Psychologist Association for allowing us to obtain feedback from their conference participants. Laura Anderson, Ph.D., Janice DeLucia- Waack, Ph.D., Jennifer Livingston, Ph.D., Amy Reynolds, Ph.D., and Michelle Serwacki, B.A., were helpful in facilitating the focus groups at the WNYESC conference. Several directors and associate directors of similar centers also generously gave of their time to be interviewed, including: Kristin Christodulu, Ph.D.; Michael Furlong, Ph.D.; Lynn Gelzheiser, Ed.D.; Linda Kanan, Ph.D.; Betsey Schühle, M.S.; Susan Swearer, Ph.D.; and Frank Vellutino, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Systematic Review of Academic Bullying in Medical Settings: Dynamics and Consequences
    Open access Original research BMJ Open: first published as 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043256 on 12 July 2021. Downloaded from Systematic review of academic bullying in medical settings: dynamics and consequences Tauben Averbuch ,1 Yousif Eliya,2 Harriette Gillian Christine Van Spall1,2,3 To cite: Averbuch T, Eliya Y, ABSTRACT Strengths and limitations of this study Van Spall HGC. Systematic Purpose To characterise the dynamics and consequences review of academic bullying of bullying in academic medical settings, report factors in medical settings: dynamics ► This systematic review is comprehensive, including that promote academic bullying and describe potential and consequences. BMJ Open 68 studies with 82 349 consultants and trainees, 2021;11:e043256. doi:10.1136/ interventions. across several countries and including all levels of bmjopen-2020-043256 Design Systematic review. training. We searched EMBASE and PsycINFO for Data sources ► We defined inclusion criteria a priori and used es- ► Prepublication history and articles published between 1 January 1999 and 7 February additional supplemental material tablished tools to assess the risk of bias of included for this paper are available 2021. studies. online. To view these files, Study selection We included studies conducted in ► The included studies varied in their definitions of please visit the journal online academic medical settings in which victims were bullying, sampling bias was noted among the sur- (http:// dx. doi. org/ 10. 1136/ consultants or trainees. Studies had to describe bullying veys and intervention studies were suboptimally bmjopen- 2020- 043256). behaviours; the perpetrators or victims; barriers or designed. facilitators; impact or interventions. Data were assessed Received 29 July 2020 independently by two reviewers.
    [Show full text]
  • Battered Woman's Syndrome: Setting a Standard in Florida
    Nova Law Review Volume 31, Issue 2 2007 Article 11 Battered Woman’s Syndrome: Setting a Standard in Florida Sara M. Sandler∗ ∗ Copyright c 2007 by the authors. Nova Law Review is produced by The Berkeley Electronic Press (bepress). https://nsuworks.nova.edu/nlr Sandler: Battered Woman's Syndrome: Setting a Standard in Florida BATTERED WOMAN'S SYNDROME: SETTING A STANDARD IN FLORIDA SARA M. SANDLER* I. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................375 II. DEFINING BATTERED WOMAN'S SYNDROME ............................... 379 A . LearnedH elplessness........................................................ 379 B. Cycle Theory of Violence .................................................. 381 III. A HISTORY OF BATTERED WOMAN'S SYNDROME IN THE COURTS 382 A. ImpairedM ental Capacity ............................................... 383 B. As Partof a Self-Defense Argument .................................. 384 1. Defining "Imminent" ........................... 385 2. "Imminent" to the Battered Woman ..................... 386 IV. FLORIDA COURTS AND BATTERED WOMAN'S SYNDROME ........... 387 A. Floridaon Expert Testimony ............................................ 387 B. Floridaon the Duty to Retreat: Weiand v. State ............. 393 V. HOW TO DETERMINE A BATTERED WOMAN'S DEFENSE: A THREE- PRON G ED T EST ...............................................................................395 A . Length of A buse ................................................................. 396 B . Severity ofA buse ..............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Pdfopposition to SB 78 A00994 2021-06-21.Pdf
    MEMORANDUM Date: June 21, 2021 To: Members, Pennsylvania General Assembly From: Frank P. Cervone, Executive Director, Support Center for Child Advocates Kathleen Creamer, Managing Attorney, Family Advocacy Unit Community Legal Services Terry Fromson, Managing Attorney, Women’s Law Project Elizabeth Randol, Legislative Director, ACLU of Pennsylvania RE: Senate Bill 78 (PN 65) – Kayden’s Law FRIENDS – We have only today learned that Senate Bill 78 may be moving in the PA Senate this week, and so we wanted to respond to recent points made by the bill’s sponsors. We continue to urge that the legislation will work to the detriment of the well-being of children involved in custody disputes. I expect there will be other voices joining in opposition, but because there is some urgency to legislative deliberations we are providing this memorandum now. Primarily, we again urge restraint and caution. Meaningful custody law reform that helps and does not hurt is best done in a deliberative process that balances competing needs and considerations. Interposing the discretion of legislators into complex child custody proceedings, and ignoring the insights and experiences of family court practitioners and judges, remains as problematic today as it did when this initiative was started by a tragic event and a passionate campaign. The course of this drafting process has been frustrating and disappointing. We have made repeated outreach to the lead sponsors throughout this legislative term, without response. None of the interested advocacy organizations even saw Amendment A00994 until after noon today! While we previously met extensively more than one year ago, there was no movement on the substantial problems we have raised, and instead persistent intransigence on key problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Accountability and Connection with Abusive Men
    32998 3/11/04 7:23 AM Page 1 ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONNECTION WITH ABUSIVE MEN A NEW CHILD PROTECTION RESPONSE TO INCREASING FAMILY SAFETY PREPARED BY FERNANDO MEDEROS WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT 32998 3/10/04 2:08 PM Page 2 2 THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES’ DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT (DVU) More than thirteen years ago, Massachusetts was the first state in the country to develop and implement a response within a state child protection agency to the co-existence of child abuse and domestic violence. The core mission of the Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) is to improve the ability of child protection workers to respond effectively to children and families affected by domestic violence. The DVU now has several components, which include consultation on high risk cases, oversight and development of services for families and practice and policy reform. Domestic Violence Specialists remain at the center of the DVU as advocates – for families and for systems change. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS) Domestic Violence Unit is indebted to all of the people who made this publication possible, mainly the families who have been affected by domestic violence and have shared their experiences with us. After years of struggling with how to deal with abusive partners in Child Protective Service (CPS) cases involving domestic violence, the Domestic Violence Unit enlisted the help of Fernando Mederos to begin a dialogue and build a knowledge base of working with abusive men within a CPS context. This document brings together extensive knowledge from the fields of child protection, domestic violence and intervention with men who batter.
    [Show full text]
  • Orders of Protection and the Battered Women Syndrome Sheila M
    Loyola University Chicago Law Journal Volume 23 Issue 3 Spring 1992 Illinois Judicial Conference Article 3 Symposium 1992 Orders of Protection and the Battered Women Syndrome Sheila M. Murphy Honorable Assoc. Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, IL Follow this and additional works at: http://lawecommons.luc.edu/luclj Part of the Law and Gender Commons Recommended Citation Sheila M. MurphyHonorable, Orders of Protection and the Battered Women Syndrome, 23 Loy. U. Chi. L. J. 397 (1992). Available at: http://lawecommons.luc.edu/luclj/vol23/iss3/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by LAW eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Loyola University Chicago Law Journal by an authorized administrator of LAW eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Orders of Protection and the Battered Woman Syndrome Honorable Sheila M. Murphy* Violence in the home strikes at the heart of our society. Chil- dren who are abused or who live in homes where parents are battered carry the terrible lessons of violence with them into adulthood.... To tolerate family violence is to allow the seeds of violence to be sown into the next generation. We as a nation can no longer allow these victims to suffer alone. We must understand the breadth and scope of the prob- lem. We must admit that family violence is found at every level of the social structure. We must let victims know that they need not hesitate to seek help. We must listen with an understanding heart and we must act in ways which prevent, protect and sup- port.
    [Show full text]
  • Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect
    STATE STATUTES Current Through March 2019 WHAT’S INSIDE Defining child abuse or Definitions of Child neglect in State law Abuse and Neglect Standards for reporting Child abuse and neglect are defined by Federal Persons responsible for the child and State laws. At the State level, child abuse and neglect may be defined in both civil and criminal Exceptions statutes. This publication presents civil definitions that determine the grounds for intervention by Summaries of State laws State child protective agencies.1 At the Federal level, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment To find statute information for a Act (CAPTA) has defined child abuse and neglect particular State, as "any recent act or failure to act on the part go to of a parent or caregiver that results in death, https://www.childwelfare. serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, gov/topics/systemwide/ or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that laws-policies/state/. presents an imminent risk of serious harm."2 1 States also may define child abuse and neglect in criminal statutes. These definitions provide the grounds for the arrest and prosecution of the offenders. 2 CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-320), 42 U.S.C. § 5101, Note (§ 3). Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS 800.394.3366 | Email: [email protected] | https://www.childwelfare.gov Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect https://www.childwelfare.gov CAPTA defines sexual abuse as follows: and neglect in statute.5 States recognize the different types of abuse in their definitions, including physical abuse, The employment, use, persuasion, inducement, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.
    [Show full text]
  • Threatened Abuse/Neglect
    Wisconsin Child Welfare PDS Mandated Reporter Training Threatened Abuse/Neglect There is no statutory definition for the phrase “threatened with abuse or neglect”, so common- sense definitions are applied. “Threatened abuse and neglect” refers to behaviors or conditions the child is exposed to that are dangerous to the child and likely to result in abuse or neglect. Remember when we were defining physical abuse - the example of the man beating his wife while their toddler hangs on to her leg? If the child is injured, it is physical abuse. If the child is not injured, it is threatened abuse, as a reasonable person could predict such behavior could result in serious injury to the child. Threatened abuse or neglect also includes instances when someone verbally threatens to injure a child, if you believe he or she is serious about carrying out the threat. Is threatened abuse or neglect less serious than actual abuse or neglect? Threatened abuse or neglect can be very serious. If a report includes information that indicates a vulnerable child is in immediate danger, CPS and law enforcement respond very quickly. The purpose of giving CPS and law enforcement agencies the authority to intervene in cases of threatened abuse or neglect is to prevent serious harm to a child, whenever possible. What are some situations you may come across that are not threatened maltreatment? Here are two examples: Verbal “threats”, such as “You know, sometimes I could just throttle that kid”, where it is clear someone is just making an exaggerated comment and has no intention whatsoever of following through.
    [Show full text]
  • Read Our Educational Booklet
    COMPASS CHANGE THE JOIN THE HAVE THE CONVERSATION CONVERSATION CONVERSATION Spreading facts to change Leadership stepping Empowering victims of sexual the stereotypes about rape up to put an end to violence to heal through open and sexual violence sexual violence discussion Sojourner House is the domestic violence shelter in Mahoning County, shelters over 100 families each year that are survivors of domestic violence providing a safe, violent-free environment to heal and chart a new course. Services are free of charge. WHAT IS SEXUAL VIOLENCE? Sexual violence is whenever sexuality is used as a weapon to gain power or control over someone. UNWANTED CHILD SEXUAL TRAFFICKING HARASSMENT CONTACT ABUSE DOMESTIC INCEST STALKING RAPE VIOLENCE WHAT IS SEXUAL ASSAULT? Sexual Assault is any forced or coerced sexual activity such as unwanted contact, committed against a person’s will or without consent. Rape is a sexual assault that includes but is not limited to forced vaginal, anal, and oral penetration. Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence with sex used as a weapon that can be committed by strangers, teens, friends, relatives, men, women, dates, partners, lovers, and spouses. WHAT IS CONSENT? WHAT IS COERCION? Consent is a verbal, physical and emotional Coercion is used in an attempt to pressure a agreement that is clear, mutual and ongoing. person to do something they might not want to do. • Consent can only exist when there is equal • Flattery, guilt trips, intimidation or threats are used power and no pressure between partners. to manipulate a person’s choices. • Consent for some things does not mean • Even if someone gives in to coercion, it is NOT consent for all things.
    [Show full text]
  • The Battered Woman Acog: Technical Bulletin Number 124—January 1989
    The Battered Woman acog: technical bulletin Number 124—January 1989 Definition Domestic violence and spouse abuse are terms referring to violence occurring between partners in an ongoing relationship, regardless of whether they are married (1). A battered woman has been defined as any woman over the age of 16 with evidence of physical abuse on at least one occasion at the hands of an intimate male partner (2). The battered wife syndrome has been defined as a symptom complex occurring as a result of violence in which a woman has at any time received deliberate, severe, and repeated (more than three times) physical abuse from her husband, with the minimal injury of severe bruising (3). Richwald and McCluskey have categorized violent acts from the least to the most severe, from verbal abuse, threat of violence, throwing an object, throwing an object at someone, pushing, slapping, kicking, hitting, beating up, threatening with a weapon, and use of a weapon. Most definitions also incorporate concepts of intentionality and the repetitive nature of the assaults (4). It can be seen from these definitions that violence is viewed most often as physical abuse. In most violent relationships, however, mental abuse and intimidation are an integral component of the abuse syndrome. Regardless of how it is defined or the form it takes, abuse represents a significant clinical problem that warrants further evaluation. In 1985, the Surgeon General of the United States sponsored a workshop on violence and public health in an effort to focus attention on this and similar problems, in the hope of helping to reduce the incidence of violence in society and providing more effective help for its victims (5).
    [Show full text]
  • Recognizing Child Abuse: What Parents Should Know
    Prevent Child Abuse America 500 North Michigan Avenue Suite 200 Chicago, IL 60611.3703 312.663.3520 tel 312.939.8962 fax www.preventchildabuse.org Recognizing Child Abuse: What Parents Should Know The first step in helping abused children is learning to recognize the symptoms of child abuse. Although child abuse is divided into four types -- physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional maltreatment -- the types are more typically found in combination than alone. A physically abused child for example is often emotionally maltreated as well, and a sexually abused child may be also neglected. Any child at any age may experience any of the types of child abuse. Children over age five are more likely to be physically abused and to suffer moderate injury than are children under age five. 1. Recognizing Child Abuse 2. Signs of Physical Abuse 3. Signs of Neglect 4. Signs of Sexual Abuse 5. Signs of Emotional Maltreatment RECOGNIZING CHILD ABUSE Experienced educators likely have seen all forms of child abuse at one time or another. They are alert to signs like these that may signal the presence of child abuse. The Child: • Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance; • Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents' attention; • Has learning problems that cannot be attributed to specific physical or psychological causes; • Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen; • Lacks adult supervision; • Is overly compliant, an overachiever, or too responsible; or • Comes to school early, stays late, and does not want to go home.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sociology of Gaslighting
    ASRXXX10.1177/0003122419874843American Sociological ReviewSweet 874843research-article2019 American Sociological Review 2019, Vol. 84(5) 851 –875 The Sociology of Gaslighting © American Sociological Association 2019 https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419874843DOI: 10.1177/0003122419874843 journals.sagepub.com/home/asr Paige L. Sweeta Abstract Gaslighting—a type of psychological abuse aimed at making victims seem or feel “crazy,” creating a “surreal” interpersonal environment—has captured public attention. Despite the popularity of the term, sociologists have ignored gaslighting, leaving it to be theorized by psychologists. However, this article argues that gaslighting is primarily a sociological rather than a psychological phenomenon. Gaslighting should be understood as rooted in social inequalities, including gender, and executed in power-laden intimate relationships. The theory developed here argues that gaslighting is consequential when perpetrators mobilize gender- based stereotypes and structural and institutional inequalities against victims to manipulate their realities. Using domestic violence as a strategic case study to identify the mechanisms via which gaslighting operates, I reveal how abusers mobilize gendered stereotypes; structural vulnerabilities related to race, nationality, and sexuality; and institutional inequalities against victims to erode their realities. These tactics are gendered in that they rely on the association of femininity with irrationality. Gaslighting offers an opportunity for sociologists to theorize under-recognized,
    [Show full text]