Longitudinal Examination of the Bullying-Sexual Violence Pathway Across Early to Late Adolescence: Implicating Homophobic Name-Calling

• NCJ Number: 253207
• Author(s): Dorothy L. Espelage; Kathleen C. Basile; Ruth W. Leemis; Tracy N. Hipp; Jordan P. Davis
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011- 90948-IL-IJ
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description

Annotation

This study tested the Bully-Sexual Violence Pathway theory across early to late adolescence.

Abstract

The Bully-Sexual Violence Pathway theory has indicated that bullying perpetration predicts sexual violence perpetration among males and females over time in middle school, and that homophobic name-calling perpetration moderates that association among males. Participants in the current study were 3,549 students from four Midwestern middle schools and six high schools. Surveys were administered across six time points from Spring 2008 to Spring 2013. At baseline, the sample was 32.2 percent White, 46.2 percent African American, 5.4 percent Hispanic, and 10.2 percent other. The sample was 50.2 percent female. The findings reveal that late middle school homophobic name-calling perpetration increased the odds of perpetrating sexual violence in high school among early middle school bullying male and female perpetrators, and homophobic name-calling victimization decreased the odds of high school sexual violence perpetration among females. The prevention of bullying and homophobic name-calling in middle school may prevent later sexual violence perpetration. 56 references (publisher abstract modified)