Victimization, Aggression, and Other Problem Behaviors: Trajectories of Change Within and Across Middle School Grades

Abstract

This study examined trajectories of victimization and problem behaviors within and across three grades of middle school. Participants were 2,166 adolescents from three urban middle schools in the United States who completed measures of victimization, physical and relational aggression, substance use, and delinquent behavior. Latent curve analyses modeled changes in each construct across 12 waves collected every 3 months. In each case, the best-fitting model required separate linear slopes to represent changes within each grade and a factor representing decreases in the summers. Positive cross-construct correlations were found for intercepts, linear slopes, and measures within waves. The findings suggest strong associations among victimization and problem behaviors, and individual differences in their patterns of change both within and across grades.

Assessment of In-Person and Cyber Aggression and Victimization, Substance Use, and Delinquent Behavior During Early Adolescence

“…We also found mean differences across both grade and sex. Cyber aggression had similar rates of prevalence across sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, whereas in-person aggression was highest in sixth grade, consistent with other trends suggesting that in-person aggression declines throughout middle school (Farrell, Goncy, Sullivan, & Thompson, 2017). The stability of cyber aggression throughout the course of middle school suggests that it continues to be reinforced, or at least not effectively addressed through informal social control, as adolescents grow.…”

Patterns of Parental Messages Supporting Fighting and Nonviolence Among Urban Middle School Students

“…A higher proportion of sixth graders were classified into the messages supporting fighting and no messages subgroups. Higher rates of aggression and victimization have been found for sixth graders compared with seventh and eighth graders (Farrell, Goncy, Sullivan, & Thompson, 2018). This may lead some parents to provide messages supporting fighting to sixth‐grade students to protect them from being victimized.…”

Longitudinal relations between trauma‐related psychological distress and physical aggression among urban early adolescents

“…We conducted secondary analyses of data collected four times per year (i.e., every 3 months) for 7 years between 2010 and 2017 as part of a study (Farrell, Sullivan et al, ) to evaluate the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (Olweus & Limber, ). The evaluation study was conducted in three schools that were selected based on attendance zones in neighborhoods with high rates of violence‐related crimes.…”

“…The principal drawing the highest card had the intervention start at their school in fall of 2011; the principal drawing the next highest card had it started at their school in fall of 2012, and the intervention was initiated at the remaining school in fall of 2015. Once initiated, intervention activities continued in each school until the end of the project (see Farrell, Sullivan et al, for details).…”

“…It is thus unclear how trauma‐related distress and physical aggression are related during other times of the year. Results of studies examining changes in adolescents' frequency of aggression during middle school have been mixed (e.g., Farrell, Goncy, Sullivan, & Thompson, ; Romero, Richards, Harrison, Garbarino, & Mozley, ). Even less is known about changes in trauma‐related distress across middle school, although there is some research to suggest that these symptoms may decrease as exposure to violence reaches critically high levels due to emotional desensitization (Mrug, Madan, & Windle, ).…”