John L. Cooley

Bidirectional Associations between Peer Victimization and Functions of Aggression in Middle Childhood: Further Evaluation across Informants and Academic Years

The current 3-wave study examined bidirectional associations between peer victimization and functions of aggression across informants over a 1-year period in middle childhood, with attention to potential gender differences. Participants included 198 children (51% girls) in the third and fourth grades and their homeroom teachers. Peer victimization was assessed using both child- and teacher-reports, and teachers provided ratings of reactive and proactive aggression. Cross-classified multilevel cross-lagged models indicated that child-reports, but not teacher-reports, of peer victimization predicted higher levels of reactive aggression within and across academic years. Further, reactive aggression predicted subsequent increases in child- and teacher-reports of peer victimization across each wave of data. Several gender differences, particularly in the crossed paths between proactive aggression and peer victimization, also emerged. Whereas peer victimization was found to partially account for the stability of reactive aggression over time, reactive aggression did not account for the stability of peer victimization. Taken together with previous research, the current findings suggest that child-reports of peer victimization may help identify youth who are risk for exhibiting increased reactive aggression over time. Further, they highlight the need to target reactively aggressive behavior for the prevention of peer victimization in middle childhood.

Associations between physical and relational forms of peer aggression and victimization and risk for substance use among elementary school-age youth

ABSTRACT This study examined associations between physical and relational forms of aggression and victimization and risk for willingness to engage in substance use and actual use in a sample of 231 (50% male) second- through fourth-grade students (mean age = 8.3 years). Physical aggression was more strongly associated with risk for substance use outcomes than physical victimization. Neither relational aggression nor victimization were linked to risk for substance use. Specifically targeting physical aggression for the prevention of early substance use among elementary school-age youths appears to be warranted.

Student–Teacher Congruence in Reported Rates of Physical and Relational Victimization Among Elementary-School-Age Children: The Moderating Role of Gender and Age

The present study investigated the degree of congruence between student self-reports and teacher reports of relational and physical victimization and tested whether gender and age moderated these relations. Mixed effect regression models were conducted on a sample of 294 students (50.7% male) in Grades 2 to 5 and their classroom teachers. Results revealed that, despite its covert nature, greater agreement was found between students and teachers on reported rates of relational victimization. However, contrary to our expectations, teacher and student reports of physical victimization were unrelated. Greater agreement was also found among girls and teachers as well as between older students and teachers, however, on reported rates of relational victimization only. Implications are discussed in light of school-based intervention efforts to address peer victimization among students.

The Role of Negative Life Events in Comorbid Reactive Aggression and Marijuana Use Initiation among Latino Adolescents

Compelling epidemiological evidence shows that marijuana use is highly comorbid with aggressive behavior, particularly among adolescents and young adults; yet the causal nexus between these 2 phenomena remains elusive. To better understand the comorbidity of specific subtypes of aggression and marijuana use, this study evaluated associations between proactive and reactive aggression and marijuana use initiation and examined whether negative life events (NLEs) partially accounted for the link between reactive aggression and marijuana use initiation in a sample of Latino adolescents (N = 144, 54% male, mean age = 16.25 years). Results indicated that approximately 43% of participants had tried marijuana. NLEs were associated with both marijuana use initiation and reactive aggression, but were unrelated to proactive aggression, thereby providing support for similar environmental correlates for reactive aggression and marijuana use. Further, a test of indirect effects suggested that NLEs partially accounted for the link between reactive aggression and marijuana use initiation, with NLEs accounting for 14% of the variance in this association. Implications for intervention and future directions for research are discussed.

Anxiety symptoms as a moderator of the reciprocal links between forms of aggression and peer victimization in middle childhood

The current short-term longitudinal study evaluated whether anxiety symptoms moderated the bidirectional associations between forms (i.e., physical and relational) of aggression and peer victimization over a 1-year period during middle childhood. Participants were 228 predominantly Caucasian children (50.4% boys; M = 8.32 years, SD = .95 years) in the second through fourth grades and their homeroom teachers. Children completed a self-report measure of anxiety symptoms at Time 1. Peer victimization was assessed using self-reports at Time 1 and approximately 1 year later (Time 2), and teachers provided ratings of childrens aggressive behavior at both time points. A series of cross-lagged path analysis models indicated that high (+1 SD) initial levels of anxiety symptoms exacerbated the prospective link from Time 1 relational aggression to Time 2 peer victimization; conversely, when initial levels of anxiety symptoms were low (-1 SD), relational aggression predicted lower levels of subsequent peer victimization. Time 1 peer victimization was also found to predict lower levels of Time 2 physical aggression when initial levels of anxiety symptoms were low, and Time 1 anxiety symptoms were uniquely related to higher levels of relational aggression over a 1-year period. Regions of significance were calculated to further decompose significant interactions, which did not differ according to gender. Study findings are discussed within a social information processing theoretical framework, and directions for future research and implications for practice are reviewed. Specifically, co-occurring anxiety symptoms may need to be addressed in interventions for both aggression and peer victimization during middle childhood.

Pilot evaluation of a targeted intervention for peer-victimized youth: FITE et al.

OBJECTIVE Due to the limited effectiveness of extant prevention and intervention strategies, the current study is an initial evaluation of a cognitive behavioral group intervention, originally designed to treat symptoms of depression and anxiety, for youth who experienced peer victimization. METHODS Twelve third- through fifth-grade youth participated in the intervention, and their data were compared with 12 youth who were a part of a naturalistic control group. Additionally, school-wide data are reported to provide overall school trends. RESULTS Whereas the intervention group participants exhibited decreases in relational victimization, depressive symptoms, and passive coping, the control group participants exhibited nonsignificant increases in relational victimization, depressive symptoms, and passive coping. School-wide data also indicated overall increases in relational victimization and depressive symptoms, but no changes in passive coping. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that cognitive behavioral group interventions may provide a promising avenue for addressing the mental health needs of victimized elementary school-age youth.