Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Bidirectional Influences of Violence Exposure and Adjustment in Early Adolescence: Externalizing Behaviors and School Connectedness

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study utilized cross-lagged longitudinal models to examine prospective, bidirectional relationships between witnessing violence and victimization and three adjustment variables—delinquency, conduct problems, and school connectedness. Participants included 603 early adolescent boys and girls (78% African American, 20% Caucasian). Witnessing violence was related to subsequent lower levels of school connectedness and more conduct problems. For Caucasian but not African American adolescents, witnessing violence also predicted later delinquency. Victimization was linked with lower school connectedness over time, and for boys but not girls also with more conduct problems. Only adolescent delinquency was associated with subsequent witnessing violence and victimization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartholow, B. D., Bushman, B. J., & Sestir, M. A. (2006). Chronic violent video game exposure and desensitization to violence: behavioral and event-related brain potential data. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 532–539. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2005.08.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blum, R. W., & Libbey, H. P. (2004). Executive summary. The Journal of School Health, 74, 231–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond, L., Butler, H., Thomas, L., Carlin, J., Glover, S., Bowes, G., & Patton, G. (2007). Social and school connectedness in early secondary school as predictors of late teenage substance use, mental health, and academic outcomes. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40, 357. e9–357.e18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. F., Haggerty, K. P., Oesterle, S., Fleming, C. B., & Hawkins, J. D. (2004). The importance of bonding to school for healthy development: findings from the Social Development Research Group. The Journal of School Health, 74, 252–261.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crouch, J. L., Hanson, R. F., Saunders, B. E., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Resnick, H. S. (2000). Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 625–641. doi:10.1002/1520-6629(200011)28:6<625::AID-JCOP6>3.0.CO;2-R.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cullerton-Sen, C., Cassidy, A. R., Murray-Close, D., Cicchetti, D., Crick, N. R., & Rogosch, F. A. (2008). Childhood maltreatment and the development of relational and physical aggression: the importance of a gender-informed approach. Child Development, 79, 1736–1751. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01222.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eaton, D. K., Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Ross, J., Hawkins, J., Harris, W. A., et al. (2006). Youth risk behavior suveillance-2005. The Journal of School Health, 76(7), 353–372. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2006.00127.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. (2004). Schools, academic motivation, and stage-environment fit. In R. M. Lerner, & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 125–154, 2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eckenrode, J., Laird, M., & Doris, J. (1993). School performance and disciplinary problems among abused and neglected children. Developmental Psychology, 29, 53–62. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.29.1.53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, D. S., Huizinga, D., & Ageton, S. S. (1985). Explaining delinquency and drug use. Beverly Hills: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, A. D., & Bruce, S. E. (1997). Impact of exposure to community violence on violent behavior and emotional distress among urban adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26, 2–14. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2601_1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, A. D., & Sullivan, T. N. (2004). Impact of witnessing violence on growth curves for problem behaviors among early adolescents in urban and rural settings. Journal of Community Psychology, 32, 505–525. doi:10.1002/jcop.20016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flannery, D., Wester, K., & Singer, M. (2004). Impact of violence exposure at school on child mental health and violent behavior. Journal of Community Psychology, 32, 559–574. doi:10.1002/jcop.20019.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gorman-Smith, D., & Tolan, P. (1998). The role of exposure to community violence and developmental problems among inner-city youth. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 101–116. doi:10.1017/S0954579498001539.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, B. F., & Dawson, D. A. (1997). Age at onset of alcohol use and its association with DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence: results from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey. Journal of Substance Abuse, 9, 103–110. doi:10.1016/S0899-3289(97)90009-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guerra, N. G., Huesmann, L. R., & Spindler, A. (2003). Community violence exposure, social cognitions, and aggression among urban elementary school children. Child Development, 74, 1561–1576. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00623.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hanish, L. D., & Guerra, N. G. (2002). A longitudinal analysis of patterns of adjustment following peer victimization. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 69–89. doi:10.1017/S0954579402001049.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, R. F., Self-Brown, S., Fricker-Elhai, A., Kilpatrick, D. G., Saunders, B. E., & Resnick, H. (2006). Relations among parental substance use, violence exposure and mental health: the national survey of adolescents. Addictive Behaviors, 31, 1988–2001. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.01.012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henrich, C. C., Schwab-Stone, M., Fanti, K., Jones, S. M., & Ruchkin, V. (2004). The association of community violence exposure with middle-school achievement: a prospective study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25, 327–348. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2004.04.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hindelang, M. J., Gottfredson, M. R., & Garofalo, J. (1978). Victims of personal crime: An empirical foundation for a theory of personal victimization. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoglund, W. L., & Leadbeater, B. J. (2007). Managing threat: do social-cognitive processes mediate the link between peer victimization and adjustment problems in early adolescence? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 17, 525–540. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2007.00533.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hotton, T. (2003). Childhood aggression and exposure to violence in the home. Crime and Justice research paper series (Catalogue no. 85-561-MIE-No. 002). Otawa, Ontario: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L. -T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, J. G., & Widom, C. S. (1999). Childhood victimization, running away, and delinquency. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 36, 347–370. doi:10.1177/0022427899036004001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leiter, J., & Johnsen, M. C. (1994). Child maltreatment and school performance. American Journal of Education, 102, 154–189. doi:10.1086/444063.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, C. P., Zhang, H., Fisher, P. W., Shaffer, D., Regier, D. A., Narrow, W. E., et al. (2001). The DISC Predictive Scales (DPS): efficiently screening for diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(4), 443–449. doi:10.1097/00004583-200104000-00013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Margolin, G., & Gordis, E. B. (2004). Children’s exposure to violence in the family and community. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13, 152–155. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00296.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCart, M. R., Smith, D. W., Saunders, B. E., Kilpatrick, D. G., Resnick, H., & Ruggiero, K. J. (2007). Do urban adolescents become desensitized to community violence? Data from a national survey. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77, 434–442. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.77.3.434.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mrug, S., Loosier, P. S., & Windle, M. (2008). Violence exposure across multiple contexts: individual and joint effects on adjustment. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78, 70–84. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.78.1.70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, M., John, R. S., Margolin, G., & Erel, O. (1994). Reliability and diagnostic efficacy of parents’ reports regarding children’s exposure to marital aggression. Violence and Victims, 9, 45–62.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, M. J., Jones, S. M., Schwab-Stone, M. E., & Ruchkin, V. (2003). The protective effects of religiousness and parent involvement on the development of conduct problems among youth exposed to violence. Child Development, 74, 1682–1696. doi:10.1046/j.1467-8624.2003.00631.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ribbe, D. (1996). Psychometric review of traumatic event screening instrument for children (TESI-C). In B.H. Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 386–387). Lutherville, MD: Sidran.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, J. L., & Rowe, D. C. (1993). Social contagion and adolescent sexual behavior: a developmental EMOSA model. Psychological Review, 100, 479–510. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.479.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. J., & Lauritsen, J. L. (1990). Deviant lifestyles, proximity to crime, and the offender-victim link in personal violence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 27, 110–139. doi:10.1177/0022427890027002002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwab-Stone, M. E., Ayers, T. S., Kasprow, W., Voyce, C., Barone, C., Shriver, T., et al. (1995). No safe haven: a study of violence exposure in an urban community. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 1343–1352. doi:10.1097/00004583-199510000-00020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwab-Stone, M., Chen, C., Greenberger, E., Silver, D., Lichtman, J., & Voyce, C. (1999). No safe haven II: the effects of violence exposure on urban youth. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 359–367. doi:10.1097/00004583-199904000-00007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., & Proctor, L. J. (2000). Community violence exposure and children’s social adjustment in the school peer group: the mediating roles of emotion regulation and social cognition. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 670–683. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.68.4.670.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., McFadyen-Ketchum, S. A., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1998). Peer group victimization as a predictor of children’s behavior problems at home and in school. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 87–99. doi:10.1017/S095457949800131X.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., McFadyen-Ketchum, S. A., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1999). Early behavior problems as a predictor of later peer group victimization: moderators and mediators in the pathways of social risk. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 191–201. doi:10.1023/A:1021948206165.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shochet, I. M., Dadds, M. R., Ham, D., & Montague, R. (2006). School connectedness is an underemphasized parameter in adolescent mental health: results of a community prediction study. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 170–179. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp3502_1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sieving, R. E., Beuhring, T., Resnick, M. D., Bearinger, L. H., Shew, M., Ireland, M., et al. (2001). Development of adolescent self-report measures from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 28, 73–81. doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(00)00155-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stouthamer-Loeber, M., Loeber, R., Homish, D. L., & Wei, E. (2001). Maltreatment of boys and the development of disruptive and delinquent behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 13, 941–955.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, M. P., Sims, L., Kingree, J. B., & Windle, M. (2008). Longitudinal associations between problem alcohol use and violent victimization in a national sample of adolescents. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 42, 21–27. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.07.003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tolan, P. H., Gorman-Smith, D., & Henry, D. B. (2003). The developmental ecology of urban males’ youth violence. Developmental Psychology, 39, 274–291. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.39.2.274.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weist, M. D., Acosta, O. M., & Youngstrom, E. A. (2001). Predictors of violence exposure among inner-city youth. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 187–198. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3002_6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Widom, C. S., Schuck, A. M., & White, H. R. (2006). An examination of pathways from childhood victimization to violence: the role of early aggression and problematic alcohol use. Violence and Victims, 21, 675–690. doi:10.1891/vv-v21i6a001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 912 building, Rm 133, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35294-1200, USA

    Sylvie Mrug

  2. Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Michael Windle

Authors
  1. Sylvie Mrug
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Windle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sylvie Mrug.

Additional information

This research was partially supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant No. R49–CCR418569.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mrug, S., Windle, M. Bidirectional Influences of Violence Exposure and Adjustment in Early Adolescence: Externalizing Behaviors and School Connectedness. J Abnorm Child Psychol 37, 611–623 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9304-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9304-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation