Children with Disability and Victimization in a Representative Sample of Students in Hong Kong

Abstract

Although it is widely believed that victimization greatly impairs the mental and physical health of children with disabilities, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the victimization of disabled children. Building on reliable estimates of the prevalence of different types victimization across disabilities among children in Hong Kong, this study provides information about the relationship between disability and child victimization.

Method: A representative sample of 5,841 children attending primary, secondary or special schools in Hong Kong were surveyed using a multi-stage stratified procedure. The response rates at the school and individual levels were 60% and 99% respectively. The study was approved by the ethics review board of the University of Hong Kong.

Results: The results show that the lifetime and preceding-year co-occurrence rates of IPV and CM were 12.3% and 3.6% respectively. IPV, parents' use of psychological aggression and corporal punishment led to increased odds of physical violence. A child, being of a younger age and studying in a special school were associated with greater odds of physical violence, after controlling for covariates.

Conclusion: The proposed study will extend existing knowledge on victimization of children with disabilities by providing empirical evidence of the possible mechanisms underlying the increased risk of victimization. As to the clinical implications, findings of the proposed study will inform the development of disability-specific screening and intervention programmes.