Measuring Multiple Types of Violence in a Family: The Application of the Family Poly-Victimization Screen

Introduction: Various forms of violence, including partner violence, child maltreatment, elder abuse and neglect, sibling violence, in-law violence, and parent abuse, often co-occur within a family. Family polyvictimization (FPV) refers to the co-occurrence of at least three types of family violence and adopts a family-oriented approach, considering the family as the basic unit to understand and address the problem.

In response to the lack of a validated screening tool, the authors developed and validated the Family Polyvictimization Screen (FPS), the first brief screening tool applicable to members of the same family across up to three generations. The objective of this presentation is to provide a reliable estimate of the pooled prevalence of FPV.

Method: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted on a population-based probability sample of Chinese families in Hong Kong. A total of 1,400 eligible families administered the FPS to report on victimization occurrences against an adult parent, a child, and an elderly member. The relationships between perpetrators and victims were recorded to define the types of family violence.

Findings: The prevalence of family victimization was computed on both an individual and family basis. Individually, the lifetime prevalence of victimization against an adult parent, a child, and an elderly member was 15.6%, 17.0%, and 14.5%, respectively. On a family basis, the lifetime prevalence of family victimization against an adult parent, children, and the elderly was 22.2%, 17.7%, and 7.9%, respectively. Regarding the number of victims in a family, 71.2% of families reported no victimization over their lifetime, 19.2% had 1-2 victims, and notably, 9.6% had three or more victims.

Implications: Empirical evidence shows a high prevalence of FPV, highlighting the need for early detection of victims and effective interventions using a family approach, rather than treating victims from the same family individually.