Victimization Scale
Measures exposure to direct and witnessed violence and victimization across school, neighborhood, and home environments, as well as self-reported violent behavior.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Victimization Scale was developed by Helen Nadel, Margaret Spellmann, Teresa Alvarez-Canino, Linda Lausell-Bryant, Gerald Landsberg (1996). It is designed to measure Violence and Victimization. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and youths.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 135 items organized into 10 factors/subscales: School Victimization (Direct), School Victimization (Witnessed), Neighborhood Victimization (Direct), Neighborhood Victimization (Witnessed), School Victimization (Heard), Neighborhood Victimization (Heard), Home Victimization (Direct), Home Victimization (Witnessed), School Violence Perpetration, Outside School Violence Perpetration.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| School Victimization (Direct) | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 | 14 |
| School Victimization (Witnessed) | 15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29 | 15 |
| Neighborhood Victimization (Direct) | 30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41 | 12 |
| Neighborhood Victimization (Witnessed) | 42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54 | 13 |
| School Victimization (Heard) | 55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70 | 16 |
| Neighborhood Victimization (Heard) | 71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83 | 13 |
| Home Victimization (Direct) | 84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95 | 12 |
| Home Victimization (Witnessed) | 96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107 | 12 |
| School Violence Perpetration | 108,109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,117,118,119,120,121 | 14 |
| Outside School Violence Perpetration | 122,123,124,125,126,127,128,129,130,131,132,133,134,135 | 14 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = Once, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 12 to 48. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Exposure / Low Perpetration: 12 – 18
- Moderate Exposure / Moderate Perpetration: 19 – 30
- High Exposure / High Perpetration: 31 – 48
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.