Distress and Violent Victimization among Young Adolescents

Abstract

This article explores the empirical validity of the Social Interactionist (SI) perspective as an explanation of violent victimization. An additional goal is to explain why early puberty among adolescents is connected to violent victimization. Using SI, we theorize that early puberty creates unusually high levels of distress for adolescents (more so for girls than boys), causing them to behave in ways that create grievances with others and provoke victimization. The research hypotheses were tested using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative data set of teenagers attending school in the United States. We found that measures of distress significantly increase violent victimization among members of the sample. Furthermore, the SI measures partially mediated the relationship between early puberty and violent victimization for boys and fully mediated this relationship for girls.

The Role of Pubertal Timing in the Development of Peer Victimization and Offending From Early- to Mid-Adolescence

“…Adolescents' pubertal timing has been found to have implications for at least two aspects of adverse peer relations during early-and mid-adolescence. First, early pubertal timing has been linked to being victimized by peers (e.g., Haltigan & Vaillancourt, 2018;Schreck, Burek, Stewart, & Miller, 2007). We define peer victimization as peer-to-peer interaction that involves being the target of a broad range of negative peer behaviors, including personal and sexual harassment, peer rejection, and physical aggression.…”

Explaining Why Early-Maturing Girls Are More Exposed to Sexual Harassment in Early Adolescence

“…In addition to being more exposed to sexual harassment in early adolescence, early-maturing girls are also more often victimized in other ways by their same-age peers. Studies have found that early-maturing girls are more likely to be violently and physically victimized than their later-maturing peers in early adolescence (Haynie & Piquero, 2006; Schreck, Burek, Stewart, & Miller, 2007). As an explanation for this link, Schreck and colleagues (2007) concluded that because early puberty is distressing, it causes girls to behave in ways that are upsetting and disturbing to their peers, thereby eliciting violent behaviors in these peers that target the early-maturing girls.…”

“…Studies have found that early-maturing girls are more likely to be violently and physically victimized than their later-maturing peers in early adolescence (Haynie & Piquero, 2006; Schreck, Burek, Stewart, & Miller, 2007). As an explanation for this link, Schreck and colleagues (2007) concluded that because early puberty is distressing, it causes girls to behave in ways that are upsetting and disturbing to their peers, thereby eliciting violent behaviors in these peers that target the early-maturing girls. It follows from this line of reasoning that if early maturers had not acted in a certain way (i.e., annoying and irritating way), then they would not have been exposed to violent offenses.…”

Pubertal Stress and Nutrition and their Association with Sexual Orientation and Height in the Add Health Data

“…A 19-item scale (e.g., “You were bothered by things that usually don’t bother you”) similar to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used (e.g., Adkins, Daw, McClay, & Oord, 2012; Galliher, Rostosky, & Hughes, 2004; Georgiades, Boyle, & Fife, 2013; Hatzenbuehler et al, 2012; Heard, Gorman, & Kapinus, 2008; Jager & Davis-Kean, 2011; Nooney, 2005; Schreck, Burek, Stewart, & Miller, 2007; Wight, Botticello, & Aneshensel, 2006). An average was computed such that higher scores represent greater reporting of depressive symptoms (Cronbach’s α = 0.86).…”

“…Based on Schreck et al (2007) and Hatzenbuehler et al (2012), four items were used to create a dichotomous measure of whether the participant was violently victimized (coded 1; n = 2923) or not (coded 0; n = 11,781). If participants answered that they had been in at least one of these four experiences (e.g., they were jumped), they were coded as 1; otherwise, they were coded 0.…”