Psychosocial Adjustment Across Aggressor/Victim Subgroups: A Systematic Review and Critical Evaluation of Theory

Identifying Protective Factors That Mitigate Relations Between Experiences with Violence and Gun Carriage for Black Young Adults Living in Economically Marginalized Urban Communities

Gun violence disproportionately impacts Black young adults living in economically marginalized urban communities and results in increased risk for injury and death. This study identifies protective factors across the ecological model for Black young adults experiencing peer-based physical and relational aggression and victimization that can mitigate the likelihood of gun carriage. The sample included 141 Black young adults living in economically marginalized communities who had experienced violence. Regression and moderation analyses indicated (1) peer-based physical and relational aggression and victimization negatively associated with gun carriage, and (2) personal assets, positive outlook, student status, and neighborhood attachment interacted with peer-based violent experiences and had protective associations with gun carriage. Findings from this study indicate a need for tailored prevention, policy efforts in order to support Black young adults and decrease gun carriage.

Long-term consequences of bullying involvement in first grade

Few prospective studies have examined how early bullying experiences impact long-term adjustment and the differential impact of children's co-occurring bullying and peer victimization involvement on adjustment in adulthood. This study addressed these gaps by examining subgroups of first graders involved in bullying and associations with four outcomes in early adulthood, including (a) Major Depression diagnosis, (b) post-high school suicide attempt, (c) on-time high school graduation, and (d) criminal justice involvement. Additionally, middle school standardized reading test scores and suspensions were examined as potential mechanisms through which early bullying involvement is associated with adult outcomes. Participants were 594 children from nine urban elementary schools in the United States who participated in a randomized controlled trial of two school-based universal prevention interventions. Latent profile analyses using peer nominations identified three subgroups: (a) High involvement bully-victims, (b) Moderate involvement bully-victims, and (c) Low/No involvement youth. Compared to the No/Low involvement class, High involvement bully-victims were less likely to graduate high school on time (OR = 0.48, p = .002) and Moderate involvement bully-victims were more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system (OR = 1.37, p = .02). High bully-victims were at greater risk for both not graduating high school on-time and criminal justice system involvement, which were partially explained by 6th grade standardized reading test scores and suspensions. Moderate bully-victims were less likely to graduate high school on time, which was partially explained by 6th grade suspensions. Findings highlight how early bully-victim involvement increases risk for difficulties that affect adult quality of life.

Chains of tragedy: The impact of bullying victimization on mental health through mediating role of aggressive behavior and perceived social support

OBJECTIVE

Bullying is a worldwide concern for its devastating consequences. The current study focused on bullying victims, examining the effects of being bullied on mental health and the chain of mediating mechanisms among adolescents. Specifically, this study attempts to explain the relationship between bullying victimization and mental health from the perspective of maladaptive behavior and perceived social support.

METHODS

A total of 3,635 adolescents responded to questions on bullying victimization, aggressive behavior, perceived social support, and mental health measurements including anxiety, depression, and subjective well being scale combined.

RESULTS

(1) Bullying victimization was significantly correlated with aggressive behavior, perceived social support, and mental health, including anxiety, depression, and subjective well being. (2) Bullying victimization not only negatively predicts mental health levels but also has an indirect impact on mental health through three pathways: a separate mediating effect on aggressive behavior, a separate mediating effect on perceived social support, and a chain mediating effect on both.

CONCLUSION

The present results demonstrate that maladaptive behavior by bullying victims can lead to changes in their perceived social support and mental health problems. Violence begets violence and provides no constructive solutions, instead, produces a tragic chain of victimization. Further implications are discussed accordingly.

"Hurt people hurt people": Relations between adverse experiences and patterns of cyber and in-person aggression and victimization among urban adolescents

This study identified subgroups of adolescents with distinct patterns of involvement with overt and relational in-person and cyber aggression and victimization. We also assessed subgroup similarities and differences in exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), exposure to community violence, and trauma symptoms. Using latent class analysis, we identified three subgroups among 265 adolescents (Mage  = 14.3 years; 57% female; 96% African American) residing in three urban high-burden communities that included youth who reported: (a) combined (cyber and in-person) aggression and victimization (17%), (b) in-person aggression and victimization (51%), and (c) adolescents with limited involvement (32%). Youth in the combined aggressive-victims subgroup had the highest probability of endorsing exposure to community violence, trauma symptoms, and a higher number of ACEs overall as well as higher rates of both verbal and physical abuse compared to the other subgroups. Our results indicated that the adolescents who reported the highest frequencies of aggressive behavior were also the most victimized and traumatized. These findings provide context to aggressive behavior among adolescents living in high-burden, urban communities and underscore the need for trauma-informed prevention interventions.