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Peer-Aggression Victimization and Perpetration in Middle School Youth: Estimating Prevalence and Frequency, Joint
Glenn D Walters1, Lindsey Runell1, Jon Kremser1
1Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pennsylvania, USA.
Aggressive Behavior
|June 6, 2025
Summary
Early adolescent bullying victimization is more common than perpetration. Trajectories of peer aggression significantly correlate with changes in delinquency, highlighting the importance of studying these developmental pathways.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Criminology
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Bullying and peer aggression are significant issues in early adolescence.
- Understanding the developmental trajectories of these behaviors is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the prevalence, composition, and correlation of early adolescent bullying/peer-aggression trajectories with delinquency.
- To test hypotheses regarding the frequency of victimization versus perpetration and the existence of distinct behavioral trajectories.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 1145 middle school students over three waves.
- Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) analysis to identify latent trajectories of peer aggression.
- Correlation analysis between identified trajectories and concurrent changes in delinquency.
Main Results:
- Victimization was significantly more prevalent and frequent than perpetration.
- Growth Mixture Modeling identified pure victim and mixed victim-perpetrator trajectories, but no pure perpetrator trajectories.
- Accelerating peer aggression trajectories correlated with a significant rise in delinquency, while decelerating trajectories showed a decrease.
Conclusions:
- Bullying/peer aggression trajectories in early adolescence are characterized by victimization and mixed patterns, not pure perpetration.
- The developmental course of peer aggression is linked to concurrent changes in delinquency.
- Studying the dynamics of peer aggression is vital for understanding adolescent development and problem behaviors.
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