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

• NCJ Number: 253208
• Journal: Journal of Research on Adolescence Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: 2018 Pages: 438-455
• Author(s): Albert D. Farrell; Elizabeth A. Goncy; Terri N. Sullivan; Erin L. Thompson
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 18 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-CK-BX-0009
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Award: Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Sustainability of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in Increasing School Safety for Urban Low-Income Middle Schools

Annotation

This study examined trajectories of victimization and problem behaviors within and across three grades of middle school.

Abstract

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. (publisher abstract modified)