Pro-bullying attitudes and impulsivity link polyvictimization to adolescent aggression.

Abstract

The present study first examined whether bullying victimization, exposure to family violence, impulsivity, and pro-bullying attitudes associate with aggressive behavior. Then using the structure equation model, this study tested whether pro-bullying attitudes and impulsivity mediated the relationships among bullying victimization, exposure to family violence, and aggressive behavior guided by the intergenerational transmission of violence and I3 models while controlling for gender and race (n = 924). As expected, bullying victimization, exposure to family violence, impulsivity, and pro-bullying attitudes positively associated with aggressive behavior. Then mediation results showed that pro-bullying attitudes explained the relationship between bullying victimization and aggressive behavior, but not exposure to family violence. Then, impulsivity mediated the relationship between bullying victimization/exposure to family violence and aggressive behavior while controlling for gender and race. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.