Exposure to Intimate-Partner Violence and Resilience Trajectories of Adolescents: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Latent Transition Analysis

Abstract

Despite the serious emotional and social consequences of adolescents’ exposure to intimate-partner violence (IPV) and the high prevalence of this exposure, few analyses have focused on person-centered models or considered psychological IPV. Studies that address exposure to violence tend to focus on physical IPV. Therefore, in this study, we examine (across two waves) the trajectories of resilience among adolescents who have witnessed psychological IPV by conducting a latent transition analysis and predicting class membership through socio-demographic and individual-level protective factors. Using a sample of 879 (T1, fall 2020) and 770 (T2, spring 2022) adolescent Swiss students with mean ages of 11.74 (SD = 0.64) and 13.77 (SD = 0.53), we identified four distinct time-invariant resilience classes: comorbid-frustrated, internalizing-frustrated, comorbid-satisfied, and resilient. The classes characterized by some level of psychopathological symptoms and basic psychological-needs frustration were the most stable over time. Furthermore, we found the four typical resilience trajectories: recovery, chronic, delayed, and improving. Gender, socioeconomic background, and protective factors showed a significant prediction of class membership in wave 1, highlighting the importance of increasing sensitivity to psychological-IPV exposure on the one hand, and reinforcing the relevance of prevention in schools regarding the promotion of protective factors on the other.

On the complex relationship between resilience and hair cortisol levels in adolescence despite parental physical abuse: a fourth wave of resilience research

“…We inquired which characteristics are represented in the resilient pattern and are thus protective factors for belonging in the resilient pattern at study wave 4. We assumed that pattern membership would differ by gender ( 39 , 40 ) and SES ( 110 ). Therefore, we performed multinomial logistic regression with the sociodemographic variables.…”

“…As we have established in previous research ( 15 , 39 , 40 ), we need family abuse-specific resilience indicators that are not just focused on psychopathological symptoms for adolescent students who have endured parental physical abuse. To adopt this approach, we identified resilience as a multidimensional construct focused on the specific domain of adolescent students’ lives ( 15 , 30 , 31 , 39 ). In order to incorporate a more comprehensive approach, we draw on key findings from research of Ryan & Deci ( 41 ) on well-being to examine resilience in the context of violence.…”

Adverse Childhood Experiences, School Bullying Retrospection, and the Impact on Resilience in Adulthood

“…Pooley and Cohen addressed the debate on whether to view resilience as a process, a personality trait, or an outcome, which would each result in varying de nitions and limitations. For example, resilience as a trait has recently been criticized as putting too much onus and blame on the individual (Aksoy et al, 2023). While previous researchers de ned resilience as a bouncing back, it is more likely to be an ongoing process (Jay, 2019).…”