Prevalence of Victimization Among Adults with Severe Mental Illness Worldwide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI), a highly vulnerable but understudied portion of the population, may be more susceptible to victimization. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of victimization and its correlates among SMI individuals. For that, we systematically reviewed data from PubMed (Medline), Web of Science, Scopus, APA PsycNet, and Scielo, including studies that assessed the prevalence of different types of victimization among adults with a broad spectrum of SMI, males and females, in clinical samples. Thirty full-text articles were included. Methodological quality was evaluated. Statistical analyses were used to estimate pooled prevalence of victimization for different periods, and random-effects model was used. Possible sources of heterogeneity were evaluated through subgroup analyses and meta-regression. Findings showed a lack of standardization in the methodology for assessing victimization. Overall analysis indicated high victimization rates among SMI individuals, even with great heterogeneity among them. The pooled prevalence of victimization over a period of up to 12 months was 33.3%. Sociodemographic and clinical factors were found as important correlates to victimization. These data can be used to identify the SMI individuals at higher risk of violence and to implement targeted health policies to prevent victimization in this population.