Contextual Influences on Stability and Change in Patterns of Peer Victimization and Aggression during Adolescence

Introduction: Adolescents involved in peer victimization represent a diverse group who differ in their role (e.g., aggressor, victim) and in adjustment. Prior research has primarily focused on individual-level risk factors for peer victimization. More recently, the focus has expanded to consider the context in which peer victimization occurs. Multilevel modeling provides a particularly useful approach for examining the influence of school context. Unfortunately, few studies have sampled a sufficiently large and diverse sample of schools to provide a basis for examining school-level factors.

 Method: This study uses multilevel latent transition analysis and data from the Multisite Violence Prevention Project to examine transitions in adolescent patterns of aggression and victimization across time and the impact of the school context on these transitions. We hypothesized that four subgroups would be identified at each wave: aggressors, aggressive-victims, predominantly victimized, and well-adjusted. Based on prior research, (Bettencourt et al., 2013) we expected there to be notable stability in aggressor/victim classes across time. We also expected that measures of school climate would significantly influence class transitions.

Participants were 4,691 students attending 73 schools in 4 communities. During spring of 6^th and 8^th grade students completed measures of aggression, victimization, norms supporting aggression and nonviolence, and school climate; teachers completed measures of school climate and students internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Two school-level composites reflecting teacher and student perceptions of school climate were constructed.

Results: Student reports of aggression and victimization were used as class indictors. As hypothesized, four classes consisting of non-victimized aggressors (Wave 1: 20%; Wave 2 20%), aggressive-victims (Wave 1: 39%; Wave 2 38%), predominantly victimized (Wave 1: 23%; Wave 2 16%), and well-adjusted (Wave 1: 19%; Wave 2: 25%), were identified, Although there was evidence of some stability in class membership across time with 56% of aggressive-victims remaining in that class at wave 2, results show significant instability in class membership over time. Specifically, 62% of youth transitioned from the predominantly victimized class to the well-adjusted class and 57% transitioned from the well-adjusted class to the aggressive-victim class across waves. Influences of the school climate on transitions will also be explored.

Conclusions: Findings will highlight the influence of school climate on stability in patterns of aggression and victimization across time, and have implications for interventions that specifically target the school context.