Research and development in criminal law and criminology

Research and development in criminal law and criminology

Examining Predictors of Sexual Victimization from the Perspective of an Integrated Model

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 PhD in Criminal Law and Criminology, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Sexual victimization is one of the most significant and damaging forms of victimization, involving a variety of physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional, and financial injuries. These harms are not confined to the personal sphere of the victim's life but also affect their social relationships and interactions. The impact of these individual injuries often leads to difficulties in establishing new relationships or maintaining existing ones. Moreover, the indirect consequences of the initial trauma can result in reduced productivity and may ultimately produce a cycle in which the victim becomes an offender. The breadth of these injuries and their long-term, multifaceted effects highlight the necessity of analyzing and understanding the predictors of sexual victimization through an integrated approach—one that considers individual characteristics, relationship dynamics, contextual factors, and social influences collectively. The present study employs a descriptive-analytical method and utilizes library research tools to address the question: What integrated pathways assist in analyzing this phenomenon, and based on what criteria can the occurrence of this victimization be predicted and ultimately prevented? The findings indicate that integrated multifactorial biological-psychological and ecological pathways, life-course development theories, and combined psychological-criminological explanations demonstrate that understanding the complexity of sexual victimization requires incorporating the aforementioned factors at multiple levels. Identifying integrated, multilevel, and multifactorial predictors using broader ecological approaches is essential for developing effective prevention strategies.
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