Mental and Physical Health of Italian Youngsters Directly and Indirectly Victimized at School and at Home

Abstract

Internalizing symptoms, such as depression, anxiety/withdrawal, as well as somatic complaints are indicators of maladjustment. Mental and physical complaints may be related to victimization at home and at school. In the present study we investigated the independent impact of direct victimization at home (parental severe scolding and physical harming) and at school (i.e. peers physical and verbal bullying) and that of indirect victimization at home (i.e. exposure to interparental violence), and at school (exclusion, spreading rumors) on the development of internalizing symptoms in a sample of 661 Italian youngsters. Results revealed an overall high rate of reported victimization; direct and indirect victimization at home and at school were significantly associated with internalizing symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses, conducted separately for boys and girls, showed that the strongest risk factor for both boys and girls for all forms of internalizing symptoms is being indirectly victimized at school; for girls another significant risk factor is exposure to mother's violence against the father (for withdrawal); whereas for boys it is father's violence against the child predicting somatic complaints. Implications for mental health practitioners are discussed.