A small but growing number of studies have begun testing the core propositions of target congruence theory. While these studies have provided modest support, no study to date has applied it to victimization experienced by Latinas. This is somewhat surprising, given that some of the theory’s theoretical constructs may be especially pertinent to this study population. Using data collected from the Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) study, results from logistic regression analyses showed that a target’s vulnerability, gratifiability, and antagonism modestly predicted victimization. Specifically, Latinas high in Latino orientation reported lower victimization, whereas Latinas high in masculinity traits were more likely to report victimization, while measures that captured antagonism, such as anger, were also found to be significant.
ArciniegaG. M.Tovar-BlankZ. G.TraceyT. J. G.AndersonT. C. (2008). Toward a fuller conception of machismo: Development of a traditional Machismo and Caballerismo scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55, 19–33.
2.
AugustineM. C.WilcoxP.OuseyG. C.ClaytonR. R. (2002). Opportunity theory and adolescent school-based victimization. Violence and Victims, 17, 233–253.
3.
BemS. L. (1981). A manual for the Bem Sex role Inventory. Consulting Psychologist Press.
4.
BriereJ. (1995). Trauma Symptom Inventory professional manual. Psychological Assessment Resources.
5.
CastilloL. G.PerezF. V.CastilloR.GhoshehM. R. (2010). Construction and initial validation of the Marianismo Beliefs Scale. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 23, 163–175.
6.
CohenL.FelsonM. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends: A routine activities approach. American Sociological Review, 44, 588–608.
7.
CuellarI.ArnoldB.MaldonadoR. (1995). Acculturation rating scale for Mexican Americans-II: A revision of the original ARSMA scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 17, 275–304.
8.
CuevasC. A.SabinaC. (2008). Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) study, May–September 2008 [United States]. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [Distributor]. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR28142.v1
9.
CuevasC. A.SabinaC. (2010). Final report: Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) study (NCJ 230445). United States Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
10.
EdelsonM. G.HokodaA.Ramos-LiraL. (2007). Differences in effects of domestic violence between Latina and non-Latina women. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 1–10.
11.
ElveyK.McNeeleyS. (2018). Target congruence as a means of understanding risk of intimate partner violence: A comparison of male and female college students in the United States. Crime & Delinquency, 65, 1823–1849. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128718770686
12.
ElveyK.ReynsB. W.McNeeleyS. (2018). Stalking on campus: A gendered perspective on target congruence and opportunity. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 45, 1308–1327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854818773792
13.
FinkelhorD.AsdigianN. L. (1996). Risk factors for youth victimization: Beyond a lifestyles/routine activities theory approach. Violence and Victims, 11, 3–19.
14.
FoxJ. A.Kim-GodwinY. S. (2011). Stress and depression among Latina women in rural southeastern North Carolina. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 28, 223–232.
15.
GarciaL.HurwitzE. L.KrausJ. F. (2005). Acculturation and reported intimate partner violence among Latinas in Los Angeles. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 569–590.
16.
GilR. M.VazquezC. I. (1996). The Maria paradox: How Latinas can merge old world traditions with new world self-esteem. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
HoveyJ. D. (2000). Latino orientation stress, depression, and suicidal ideation in Mexican immigrants. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 6, 134–151.
19.
KaltmanS.GreenB. L.MeteM.SharaN.MirandaJ. (2010). Trauma, depression, and comorbid PTSD/depression in a community sample of Latina immigrants. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2, 31–39.
20.
KeithT. Z. (2015). Multiple regression and beyond: An introduction to multiple regression and structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). Routledge.
21.
MoradiB.RiscoC. (2006). Perceived discrimination experiences and mental health of Latina/o American persons. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 411–421.
22.
MorenoffJ. D.AstorA. (2006). Immigrant assimilation and crime: Generational differences in youth violence in Chicago. In MartinezR.JrValenzuelaA. (Eds.), Immigration and crime: Race, ethnicity, and violence (pp. 36–63). New York University Press.
23.
O, S. H., & Wilcox, P. (2017). Routine activity theory, target congruence, and school context: A multilevel analysis of teacher victimization. Victims and Offender, 13, 349–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2017.1329174
24.
ParrotD. J.ZeichnerA. (2003). Effects of hypermasculinity on physical aggression against women. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 4, 70–78.
25.
PotochnickS. R.PerreiraK. M. (2010). Depression and anxiety among first-generation immigrant Latino youth: Key correlates and implications for future research. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 198, 470–477.
26.
SáenzR.MoralesM. C. (2015). Latinos in the United States: Diversity and change. John Wiley.
27.
SanchezD. T.FetterolfJ. C.RudmanL. A. (2012). Eroticizing inequality in the United States: The consequences and determinants of traditional gender roles adherence in intimate relationships. Journal of Sex Research, 49, 168–183.
28.
StewartE. A.SchreckC. J.SimonsR. L. (2006). I ain’t gonna let now one disrespect me: Does the code of the street reduce or increase violence victimization among African American adolescents?Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 43, 427–458.
29.
SweenM.ReynsB. W. (2017). An empirical test of target congruence theory on intimate partner violence. Deviant Behavior, 38, 61–73.
30.
Terrazas-CarrilloE.SabinaC. (2019). Dating violence attitudes among Latino college students: An examination of gender, machismo, and marianismo. Violence and Victims, 34, 194–210.
31.
TorresL. (2010). Predicting levels of Latino depression: Latino orientation, acculturative stress, and coping. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 256–263.
32.
UlloaE. O.JaycoxL. H.MarshallG. N.CollinsR. L. (2004). Latino orientation, gender stereotypes, and attitudes about dating violence among Latino youth. Violence and Victims, 19, 273–287.
33.
VandelloJ. A.CohenD. (2003). Male honor and female fidelity: Implicit cultural scripts that perpetuate domestic violence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 997–1010.
34.
VandelloJ. A.CohenD.GrandonR.FraniukR. (2009). Stand by your man: Indirect prescriptions for honorable violence and feminine loyalty in Canada, Chile, and the United States. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 40, 81–104.
35.
WaldnerL. K.BergJ. (2008). Explaining antigay violence using target congruence: An application of revised routine activities theory. Violence and Victims, 23, 267–287.
36.
WalkerJ. T.MaddanS. (2020). Statistics in criminology and criminal justice (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
37.
WeathersF. W.LitzB. T.HermanD. S.HuskaJ. A.KeaneT. M. (1993, October). The PTSD checklist: Reliability, validity, & diagnostic utility [Paper presentation]. Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, San Antonio, TX, USA.
38.
WeisburdD.BrittC. (2014). Statistics in criminal justice (4th ed.). Springer.
39.
ZavalaE. (2017). When the cop is the victim: A test of target congruence theory on intimate partner violence victimization experienced by police officers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517709801
40.
ZavalaE. (2018). Target congruence theory and the victim-offender overlap among male youths. Victims and Offenders, 13, 1013–1032.
41.
ZavalaE.Guadalupe-DiazX. (2018). Testing target congruence theory on emotional abuse victimization experienced by heterosexual and LGBQ college students. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 28, 1069–1090. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2018.1430641
42.
ZavalaE.WhitneyC. (2019). Target congruence theory and Latino youth victimization. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 17, 169–185.
