A study of individual and situational antecedents of violent victimization

Researchers traditionally rely on routine activities and lifestyle theories to explain the differential risk of victimization; few studies have also explored nonsituational alternative explanations. We present a conceptual framework that links individual trait and situational antecedents of violent victimization. Individual risk factors include low self-control and weak social ties with the family and school. Situational risk factors include having delinquent peers and spending time in unstructured and unsupervised socializing activities with peers. We investigate the empirical claims proposed in this model on a sample of high school students, using LISREL to create a structural equation model. The results generally support our assertions that individual traits and situational variables each significantly and meaningfully contribute to victimization.