Jelle J. Sijtsema

Empirical test of bullies' status goals: assessing direct goals, aggression, and prestige

The literature suggests that status goals are one of the driving motivations behind bullying behavior, yet this conjecture has rarely if ever been examined empirically. This study assessed status goals in three ways, using dyadic network analysis to analyze the relations and goals among 10-11 and 14-15 year olds in 22 school classes (N boys=225; N girls=277). As a validation bullies were contrasted with victims. Bullies had direct status goals (measured with the Interpersonal Goal Inventory for Children) and showed dominance as measured with proactive aggression. Moreover, as predicted from a goal perspective, bullying behavior was related to prestige in terms of perceived popularity. In contrast, victims lacked status goals, were only reactively aggressive, and low on prestige. That being popular is not the same as being liked could be shown by the fact that bullies were just as rejected as victims by their classmates. Eighth-grade bullies had more direct status goals than fourth-grade bullies, possibly indicating that striving for the popularity component of status increases in early adolescence.

Longitudinal Associations between Depressive Problems, Academic Performance, and Social Functioning in Adolescent Boys and Girls.

Depressive problems and academic performance, social well-being, and social problems in adolescents are strongly associated. However, longitudinal and bidirectional relations between the two remain unclear, as well as the role of gender. Consequently, this study focuses on the relation between depressive problems and three types of functioning in adolescents while testing gender differences. Depressive problems and functioning of 2,230 children were measured with structured questionnaires. The measurements took place biennially over 3 waves, from late childhood into adolescence (age range = 10-18 years). To examine the longitudinal relation between depression and functioning, path analyses with cross-lagged effects were conducted with structural equation modeling. Multigroup analyses were used to test for gender differences, which were only observed for academic performance. Other findings indicated substantial stability in depressive problems and functioning over time and within-wave correlations between depression and the 3 types of functioning. Poor social well-being was predicted by depressive problems but not the other way around. The relation between depressive and social problems was bidirectional, that is, they predicted each other. Finally, depressive problems and academic performance were bidirectionally related as well but only in girls.

Being Sexually Attracted to Minors: Sexual Development, Coping With Forbidden Feelings, and Relieving Sexual Arousal in Self-Identified Pedophiles

This article aims to provide more insight into pedophilic attraction and risk and protective factors for offending in nonclinical pedophiles. Fifteen participants were interviewed about sexuality, coping, and sexual self-regulation. Many participants struggled with acknowledging pedophilic interest in early puberty and experienced psychological difficulties as a result. Furthermore, many committed sex offenses during adolescence when they were still discovering their feelings. Early recognition of risk factors and early start of interventions seem vital in preventing offending. Moreover, results suggest that risk for offending can be diminished by creating more openness about pedophilia and by providing pedophiles with social support and control.

Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators in a Forensic Psychiatric Outpatient Setting: Criminal History, Psychopathology, and Victimization

This study investigated criminological, psychopathological, and victimological profiles of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators in a sample of 119 Dutch female and male forensic psychiatric outpatients aged 18 to 58 years. In addition, differences in criminological, psychopathological, and victimological factors between IPV perpetrators (n = 61, 51.3%) and non-intimate violence (NIV) perpetrators (n = 58, 48.7%) were examined. All data, including information on demographics, criminal history, history of psychological, sexual, and physical victimization during childhood or adolescence, family history of psychopathology, history of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence, and mental disorders, were derived from archival electronic medical records. Mental disorders were measured using structured psychiatric interviews and final consensus diagnoses were established during weekly case consultations. Both IPV and NIV perpetrators displayed high rates of criminal history, psychopathology, and previous victimization, but the two groups did not differ in these factors with two exceptions. IPV perpetrators were significantly more likely to have higher rates of previous physical victimization and intermittent explosive disorder than NIV perpetrators. The current study suggests that a history of physical victimization and intermittent explosive disorder are specific characteristics of IPV perpetrators in a forensic psychiatric outpatient setting. Future research should focus on mechanisms explaining the association of childhood victimization and IPV and increase our understanding of the role of intermittent explosive disorder in IPV.

Early life adversities and adolescent antisocial behavior : The role of cardiac autonomic nervous system reactivity in the TRAILS study

In the current study, the role of pre-ejection period (PEP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was studied in the association between prior adversities and antisocial behavior in adolescence. PEP and RSA task reactivity and recovery to a public speaking task were assessed in adolescents from a longitudinal population-based study (N=624, Mage=16.14 years, 49.2% boys). Perinatal adversities were unrelated to antisocial behavior, but experiencing more stressful adversities between age 0 and 15 was associated with antisocial behavior at age 16 in boys with blunted PEP reactivity and smaller PEP differences from rest to recovery. Number of adversities between age 0 and 15 was associated with antisocial behavior in boys with blunted and girls with heightened RSA reactivity and larger PEP differences from rest to recovery. The association between prior adversities and antisocial behavior were small in effect size and depended upon sex and PEP and RSA reactivity and recovery.

Associations Between Dysfunctional Personality Traits and Intimate Partner Violence in Perpetrators and Victims

In the current study, the role of borderline and antisocial personality traits and psychological and physical forms of intimate partner violence were examined. Using self- and partner-reports, 30 perpetrators (28 males) and 30 victims (29 females) of partner violence, including 23 (former) couples, were interviewed. Results showed that perpetrators (i.e., males) were higher on antisocial personality traits than victims (i.e., females), but the two groups did not differ on borderline traits and self-reported violence. Moreover, borderline traits were associated with partner violence in general, whereas antisocial personality traits were associated with physical, but not psychological, partner violence. Analyses on (former) couples suggest that there is little congruence between perpetrators’ and victims’ reports of partner violence. In conclusion, the findings of the current study not only emphasized the complex nature of intimate partner violence but also showed that dysfunctional personality traits and gender play a significant role in both the display and reporting of partner violence.

Person–group dissimilarity in personality and peer victimization

The present study examined the role of person–group dissimilarity in personality in peer victimization. It was hypothesized that adolescents who show more deviation from the classroom norm in personality experience more peer victimization. Data from 1108 adolescents (48% boys; Mage = 13.56 years, SD = 1.13) from 54 classrooms were used to test this hypothesis. Data included measurements of self–reported and bully–disclosed victimization and Big Five and Dark Triad personality traits. Results of generalized linear mixed models including polynomial equations and subsequent response surface analyses partly supported our hypothesis. Person–group dissimilarity in the shape of personality profiles was related to more bully–disclosed victimization, but not to self–reported victimization. Dissimilarity in neuroticism and Machiavellianism was related to both more self–reported and bully–disclosed victimization. Dissimilarity in extraversion, openness to experience, and psychopathy was only related to more self–reported victimization. Unexpectedly, dissimilarity in agreeableness was related to less self–reported victimization. Moreover, our results also indicated that certain levels of congruent person–group combinations in agreeableness, neuroticism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy were related to more peer victimization. Overall, findings of this study emphasize the importance of considering classroom norms in relation to peer victimization. Copyright

Preadolescents and their friends : Similarity in aggression and depressive problems as a function of social status and friendship reciprocity

In the current study, associations between individual and friends’ direct and indirect aggression and depressive problems were examined. It was expected that social status would moderate these associations such that low-status preadolescents would be more similar to their unilateral friends with regard to indirect, but not direct, aggression. Furthermore, it was expected that preadolescents’ depressive problems were positively associated to reciprocal friends’ depressive problems, in particular in low-status preadolescents. The hypotheses were tested by studying unilateral and reciprocal friendships in 204 children (Mage=10.90; SD=0.78; 44.1% girls). Direct and indirect aggression and depressive problems were assessed via both self- and peer-reports. Social status was assessed via peer-reported rejection (i.e., dislike) and popularity (i.e., who do others want to be associated with). Analyses showed partial support for the hypotheses, showing that individual and unilateral friends’ self-reported indirect and direct aggression were positively associated in preadolescents who were lower on popularity. Moreover, in preadolescents who were more rejected by peers, depressive problems were positively associated to reciprocal friends’ depressive problems. The current study highlights the importance of including social status and distinguishing between unilateral and reciprocal friendships when examining associations between individual and friends’ behavior.

The Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth in a large community sample of young adult males and females: the TRAILS Study

This study examined associations between the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY; Borum, Bartel, & Forth, 2002) risk and protective items, identified clusters of SAVRY items, and used these clusters to predict police contact and violence. SAVRY items were assessed in a community sample of adolescent boys and girls (N = 963, 46.5% boys) via self-, parent, and teacher reports at ages 11 and 13.5 as part of a longitudinal cohort study. Police contact and violence were assessed at age 19. Correlations between risk and protective items and police contact and violence were largely similar in boys and girls, though there were some differences with regard to outcome measure. Principal factor analysis on the SAVRY items yielded a 2-factor model, distinguishing between History of Violence/Dysregulation and Social Support factors. Follow-up analyses showed incremental validity of the Social Support factor over and beyond the History of Violence/Dysregulation factor and sex in the prediction of violence. The findings provide new insights into the SAVRY factor structure and show that the SAVRY was able to predict violence in a community sample of adolescents over a period of 4 to 7 years.

Disorder-Specific Symptoms and Psychosocial Well-Being in Relation to No-Show Rates in Forensic ADHD Patients

ABSTRACT No-show rates in forensic psychiatry are related to higher recidivism risk and financial costs in mental health care, yet little is known about risk factors for high no-show rates. In this study, the extent to which disorder specific symptoms and psychosocial well-being are related to no-show rates in forensic patients with ADHD was examined. Sixty male patients with ADHD (M age = 35.9, SD = 8.6) who received treatment in a Dutch forensic outpatient center completed the Adult Self-Report on disorder-specific symptoms and general psychosocial well-being. Data on no-show rates and background characteristics were obtained via electronic patient files. Independent sample t-tests showed a trend in which patients with high no-show rates (15–45% missed appointments) had more ADHD symptoms compared to patients with low no-show rates (0–14.9% missed appointments). Furthermore, multivariate regression analyses showed that rule-breaking, externalizing problems and somatic problems were associated with higher no-show rates, whereas anxiety problems were associated with lower no-show rates. Results suggest that no-show rates in forensic patients with ADHD are related to specific psychopathological symptoms. This knowledge can be used to prevent no-show in forensic psychiatric treatment.