Victimization of Emerging Adults with Histories of Child Maltreatment Allegations: A National Study

The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) has followed children from Child Protective Service (CPS) investigation into emerging adulthood. How these emerging adults compare to national peers in measures of well-being and criminal victimization are of major interest in determining whether CPS-investigated youth are more vulnerable than the general population. Methods used included a subsample of 311 young adults aged 18-21 who were surveyed 36 months following a CPS investigation when they were adolescents. This study focuses on adult self-reported past-year robbery and physical assault victimization. The data were presented with descriptive statistics and bivariate comparisons to provide a brief examination of current well-being, along with a logistic regression analysis that examined the odds of past-year victimization by a variety of demographic and environmental characteristics. Findings indicate that more than 1-in10 emerging adults (12 %) reported being robbed in the previous year, and 8 % reported being physically assaulted. This is 3 and 24 times greater odds than the national average for physical assault and robbery respectively. Odds of past-year robbery and assault were greater if the respondent lacked a high school diploma, was living with a romantic partner or roommate compared to living with parents, or expressed difficulty making ends meet financially. These findings demonstrate that emerging adults with a history of child welfare involvement are reporting high rates of robbery and physical assault victimization. Although previous studies have only focused on youth aging out of foster care, these rates indicate that any youth from a family with a history of child welfare involvement may be at risk for future victimization after they turn 18.