Cumulative Violence Exposure as a Curvilinear Risk Factor of Proactive and Reactive Aggression in Chinese Adolescents

The association between cumulative risk and psychosocial adjustment typically follows either linear (additive model) or nonlinear patterns, with the latter comprising steeling and sensitizing models. This two-wave longitudinal study (baseline: T1; 6-month follow-up: T2) investigated how cumulative violence exposure relates to proactive versus reactive aggression and its dynamic in 1208 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 12.73 years; 51.4% boys). Hierarchical regression analyses showed significant nonlinear effects of cumulative violence exposure on both proactive and reactive aggression across waves. Restricted cubic spline analyses revealed that the relationship between cumulative violence exposure and T1 proactive aggression supported the sensitizing model, while the relationships with T2 proactive aggression and both T1/T2 reactive aggression aligned with the steeling model. Specifically, T1 proactive aggression exhibited escalating nonlinear growth with increasing exposure, whereas T2 proactive aggression and both T1/T2 reactive aggression demonstrated initial increases followed by declines as exposure intensified. These findings provide critical implications for interventions targeting violence-exposed adolescents.