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Assessing aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: can we do it better?
Ernest N Jouriles1, Renee McDonald, Edward Garrido
1Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0442, USA. ejourile@smu.edu
Psychological Assessment
|January 6, 2006
Summary
A cumulative assessment method revealed higher rates of adolescent relationship aggression than a single retrospective method. This approach also showed stronger correlations between aggression and adolescent trauma or anxiety symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Development
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Research on adolescent relationship aggression often relies on single, retrospective assessments.
- These methods may underestimate the prevalence and impact of aggression in teen relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of a cumulative assessment method versus a single retrospective method in capturing adolescent relationship aggression.
- To examine the relationship between adolescent trauma, anxiety symptoms, and relationship aggression using different assessment approaches.
Main Methods:
- 125 high school students completed either a single 2-month retrospective assessment or a cumulative method comprising four 2-week retrospective assessments.
- Data collected included experiences of physical aggression and threatening behavior.
- Correlations with adolescent trauma and anxiety symptoms were analyzed.
Main Results:
- The cumulative method identified a significantly higher prevalence of physical aggression (48.0%) and threatening behavior (48.8%) compared to the single retrospective method (27.0% and 24.8%, respectively).
- Adolescent trauma and anxiety symptoms showed stronger correlations with physical aggression data obtained through the cumulative method.
Conclusions:
- Cumulative assessment methods offer a more comprehensive understanding of adolescent relationship aggression than traditional single retrospective methods.
- This enhanced detection may improve the identification of at-risk adolescents and inform targeted interventions for relationship violence and associated mental health issues.