Children with special educational needs and family polyvictimization in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional survey of families

Families raising children with special educational needs (SEN) may experience adversities. However, previous research has focused on individual children, and limited research has examined family polyvictimization (FPV) and SEN correlates from a family-centered perspective. This study analyzed data from a family-based survey conducted in Hong Kong between August 2022 and March 2023, comparing families with and without children with SEN.

A total of 1,400 respondents participated (mean age = 39.75 years, SD = 6.99; 75.4% female), each representing one participating family. Of these respondents, 130 reporting children with SEN and 1,270 without. Respondents provided information on sociodemographic characteristics, family violence and FPV experiences, and health outcomes.

Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with having children with SEN. Lifetime FPV prevalence was higher among families reporting children with SEN than among other families (23.1% vs. 8.2%). After adjustment for sociodemographic, family-context, psychosocial-attitude, and social-support variables, FPV was associated with higher odds of SEN-reporting family status (aOR = 2.630, 95% CI 1.529–4.524).

Other adjusted correlates included lower family income, male dominance, violence socialization, lower perceived social support, violence against adult parents, children, and older family members, poorer respondent physical health, and lower child quality of life. These findings underscore the importance of viewing families raising children with SEN as a window for identifying family violence and call for early detection, systematic screening, and family-centered interventions. Future research should examine these associations over time and strengthen family-based support.

The work described in this paper was fully supported by fellowship and grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. PolyU/SRFS2223-5H01 & 15601022). Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China The authors declare no competing interests.

The questionnaire and methodology for this study were approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HSEARS20191213002). Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.