Examining the factors associated with why recurring victimization does and does not occur

Purpose A significant amount of research has been centered on understanding the nature of victimization and why it occurs. One of the key areas of research from this body of literature is on recurring victimization or the tendency for certain persons to be victimized repeatedly over time. Despite the interest on recurring victimization, there still remains much that is unknown about the causes and correlates to it. Using this as a springboard, this study aims to examine some of the factors that might explain why victimization does and does not reoccur – that is, why certain people are victimized at one point in time, but never again. Design/methodology/approach For this study, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were analyzed. Findings The results revealed that delinquent involvement and exposure to delinquent peers increased the odds of recurring victimization, while social support decreased the odds of recurring victimization. Originality/value This study adds to the existing literature by providing some insight into ways to reduce the odds of being victimized repeatedly across the life course.