BACKGROUND:People with intellectual disabilities often need assistance of some kind in their everyday life. Support needs can increase the risk of their victimization at the hands of professional and family caregivers. This paper explores the differences in caregiver victimization between participants living in residential care settings and those who are not.METHOD:A sample of 260 adults (59.2 % men) with an intellectual disability diagnosis were assessed using an adaptation of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire comparing prevalence, sum and variety scores.RESULTS:More than half of the sample (59.2 %) experienced some form of caregiver victimization throughout their lifetime, with physical abuse, verbal abuse, and neglect being the most frequently reported forms. Participants in residential care settings experienced significantly more caregiver victimization incidents and a broader range of victimization forms than their counterparts outside residential care. Significant differences were found based on the individuals' place of residence and gender. Details are provided on the last victimization incident, the perpetrator, the psychological and physical consequences of the victimization, and the reporting rates.CONCLUSIONS:This study outlines high rates of lifetime caregiver victimization, with those who live in residential care settings at particular risk. Further research is needed to gain a deeper understanding of the nuances of caregiver victimization and to prevent abuse in caregiving contexts.

Research has drawn attention to the stigma and high rates of victimization among people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and an overlap between bias and non-bias victimization. However, studies of bias events or hate crime involving persons with ID are scarce. Using a self-report measure, we analyze lifetime bias victimization in a sample of 260 adults diagnosed with ID (age M = 41.7, SD = 12.0; 59.2% men), of whom 92 experienced bias victimization (age M = 41.2, SD = 11.9; 54.3% men), and compare the number of different types of victimization and the poly-victimization status between bias and non-bias victims. We also examine the following features: the victim, offender(s), victim–offender relationship, and location. Results show that bias victims experience a higher number of different types of victimization than non-bias victims ( M = 7.74 and 4.96, respectively; p <.001, rrb=.37, ξ=.42) and are four times more likely to be poly-victims than non-bias victims (odds ratio [ OR] = 4.37; 95% CI, p <.001). Most of the victims experienced a number of bias victimization episodes (89.1%; n = 82), and more than a quarter were injured (27.2%, n = 25) as a result of the victimization. All the bias victimizations by strangers were carried out in public places, as were most of the bias victimizations by acquaintances. Schoolmates and work colleagues perpetrated attacks at school and in the workplace, respectively. More than half of the victims, 63% ( n = 58), spoke of the experience with someone, but only one reported it to the authorities. The paper provides a valuable descriptive and bivariate analysis of bias victimization of people with ID. The findings will help to understand bias violence against this population, highlighting the need for targeted and effective interventions.

Over the last few decades there has been increased interest in studying the phenomenon of violence among people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Research addressing offending and victimization among this population suffers from generalised androcentrism by extrapolating findings to women, and is also homogenising, ignoring any individual and gendered differences. Existing research also demonstrates a clear focus on vulnerability and increased risk of victimization, but very little attention has been paid to women with ID as perpetrators of crime. Many factors play a role in the process of victimisation and offence, which implies the need to deconstruct the hegemonic vision of violence and examine its different manifestations and nuances. Therefore, this chapter provides a critical and historical review of the role of women with ID as victims and perpetrators of crime, by synthesising the different levels of analysis of the subject using an intersectionality approach. In conclusion, the evidence so far does not elucidate the prevalence or characteristics of these offenders. What we do know is that this group faces interacting, individual, social and environmental difficulties. They report high rates of victimisation and mental health comorbidity. Altogether they reveal an overlapping status of victim and offender.

BACKGROUND:Research has shown high rates of victimization among people with intellectual disabilities (ID), but victimization clusters have been barely explored. OBJECTIVE:We address the gap by examining how reported victimization experiences are grouped into different classes and identifying differences in the characteristics of the individuals in each class. METHODS:We conducted a cross-sectional self-report study with a sample of adults with an ID diagnosis (n = 260). We gathered data about the participants' victimization experiences and socio-demographics, and then subjected the data to latent class analysis (LCA). RESULTS:Three different classes were detected: High victimization (n = 27, 10.4 %); medium victimization, low sexual (n = 97, 37.3 %); and low victimization (n = 136, 52.3 %). The results highlight the experiences of sexual and physical victimization among the high-victimization class, in which women are overrepresented, and physical victimization among the medium-victimization class. The study also found that experiences of assault and bias attacks occur to a varying extent across all three classes. The LCA and poly-victimization methods showed substantial agreement but also differences when identifying the most victimized participants. In addition, we detected significant differences between classes in gender, type of school attended, place of residence, legal incapacity, type of support needed, secondary disability and poly-victimization status. CONCLUSION:We identified distinct underlying ingroup patterns of victimization and sociodemographic inter-class differences that contribute to a better understanding of victimization within the population in question. The results have prevention and intervention implications for caregivers and providers of services for people with ID.

People with intellectual disabilities appear to be more vulnerable to victimization. However, few studies have assessed victimization in these groups and those that do exist are highly heterogeneous and tend to focus only on specific forms of violence. This study attempts to shed light on the phenomenon of victimization among adults with intellectual disabilities by assessing victimization and poly-victimization throughout their life course. The sample consisted of 260 adults (154 men and 106 women) with an intellectual disability diagnosis, recruited from the Catalan Federation for People with Intellectual Disabilities (DINCAT) in Spain. They ranged in age from 20 to 71 years (M = 41.69, SD = 12.05). Victimization experiences were assessed by means of an adaptation of the retrospective version of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ). The results showed that 96.9% of the participants had suffered some kind of victimization throughout their lives. With respect to the types of victimization, the most frequent were common victimization (87.7%), witnessing and indirect victimization (67.3%), victimization by caregivers (59.2%), sexual victimization (35%), and electronic victimization (23.5%). Women and early adults tended to experience higher rates of victimization. The poly-victimized group experienced 13 or more incidents of victimization throughout their lives. This study highlights the elevated rates of lifetime victimization among people with intellectual disabilities. It adds to previous evidence that special protection programs are required to address this issue and emphasizes the need for prevention and intervention measures in this particularly vulnerable group.

This study examines the prevalence and characteristics of sexual victimization experiences suffered by people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The sample consisted of 260 adults with an ID diagnosis (154 men and 106 women), ranging in age from 20 to 71 years (M = 41.69, SD = 12.05). The results showed that 35% of the sample had been sexually victimized at some point in their life. Being a woman, being declared legally incapable, and having comorbid mental health diagnoses were the most relevant characteristics of sexual victims with ID. Fondling was the most reported victimization, and rape showed the greatest gender differences, with a higher risk for women with ID of being raped compared to their male counterparts (odds ratio = 4.28, p < .05). The offender was generally a known male adult, and the percentage of incidents reported to the authorities was very low (7.4%). The psychological consequences of abuse were general distress, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology. Intervention and prevention programs targeting this population, as well as the training of professionals and caregivers, are essential to deal with sexual victimization and to protect and ensure the quality of life of people with ID.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a multifaceted global phenomenon in which adolescents involved in the child welfare system form a high-risk population. However, studies conducted in European countries remain scarce. We recruited a sample of 67 adolescents (50.7% girls and 47.8% boys) aged between 13 and 18 years old (M = 15.8; SD = 2.2) in residential care in the child welfare system in the south-east of Spain, and surveyed them about their runaway behavior, knowledge and perception of CSEC, and possible related preventive measures. Using a mixed-methods approach, we found that 47.8% of the adolescents reported having run away from the residential center and 92.5% knew someone that had run away. A total of 71.6% of the adolescents were aware of the problem of CSEC, and demanded more education and protection. They highlighted various motivations for engaging in this type of behavior. The use of ICT emerged as an important risk factor to take into account in prevention programs.

La explotación sexual comercial infantil y adolescente (ESCIA) es un problema especialmente frecuente en niños, niñas y adolescentes con medidas jurídicas de protección.Esta forma de victimización sexual, que recoge otras múltiples formas de violencia, no sólo está presente en países en vías de desarrollo.En España, únicamente contamos con los datos obtenidos por la Comisión de Expertos de Mallorca en 2020.Se presentan las respuestas de 67 adolescentes, entre 13 y 18 años, en centros residenciales del sistema de protección, sobre sus conocimientos y experiencias respecto a la ESCIA.Los resultados indican que se trata de un problema conocido y ante el cual demandan más educación y protección.Aluden a motivos diversos para implicarse en él, pero todos ellos pueden situarse dentro de la pirámide del sexo por supervivencia.El uso de las TIC aparece como un importante factor de riesgo a tener en cuenta en programas de prevención.Palabras clave: Explotación sexual, Adolescencia

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a problem that is highly prevalent in children and adolescents under legal protection. However, this form of sexual victimization, which includes multiple other forms of violence, is not only present in developing countries. In Spain we only have the data obtained by the Expert Commission from Mallorca in 2020. The responses of a sample of 67 adolescents between 13 and 18 years old from residential centers in Mallorca about their knowledge and experiences regarding CSEC are presented. The results indicate that CSEC is a known problem. Also, these adolescents demand more education and protection. They allude to various reasons for engaging in this type of behavior, although all of them can be placed in the pyramid of survival sex. The use of1CT appears as an important risk factor to take into account in prevention programs.

The etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) remains unknown for most of the cases, in spite of its strong genetic component. A greater knowledge of its genetic basis would result in many benefits, including specific genetic counseling for families and, eventually, the development of personalized therapeutic strategies. In this thesis, we have applied several recent sequencing technologies and adapted pipelines to its study. We have investigated the role of rare variants and its transcriptional consequences and explored the contribution of complex rearrangements to its missing heritability. In addition, we have studied second-hit susceptibility genetic factors in a group of individuals with Williams-Beuren syndrome, a genomic disorder associated with a mirror phenotype. Finally, we have explored parental knowledge and the effect of genetic counseling in affected families. Our results reveal that both highly penetrant mutations and inherited variants of milder effect contribute to its susceptibility, following monogenic and oligogenic or multifactorial models, respectively. Each of them may contribute to part of the variability and may explain a subset of cases.