Bullying Predicts Reported Dating Violence and Observed Qualities in Adolescent Dating Relationships

Abstract

The relationship between reported bullying, reported dating violence, and dating relationship quality measured through couple observations was examined. Given past research demonstrating similarity between peer and dating contexts, we expected that bullying would predict negative dating experiences. Participants with dating experience (n = 585; 238 males, M_age = 15.06) completed self-report assessments of bullying and dating violence perpetration and victimization. One month later, 44 opposite-sex dyads (M_age = 15.19) participated in behavioral observations. In 10-min sessions, couples were asked to rank and discuss areas of relationship conflict while being video-recorded. Qualities of the relationship were later coded by trained observers. Regression analysis revealed that bullying positively predicted dating violence perpetration and victimization. Self-reported bullying also predicted observations of lower relationship support and higher withdrawal. Age and gender interactions further qualified these findings. The bullying of boys, but not girls, was significantly related to dating violence perpetration. Age interactions showed that bullying was positively predictive of dating violence perpetration and victimization for older, but not younger adolescents. Positive affect was also negatively predicted by bullying, but only for girls. These findings add to the growing body of evidence that adolescents carry forward strategies learned in the peer context to their dating relationships.

Keywords

adolescent dating relationships dating violence bullying behavioral observations

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aiken

L. S.

West

S. G.

(1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Arriaga

X. B.

Foshee

V. A.

(2004). Adolescent dating violence: Do adolescents follow in their friends’ or their parents’ footsteps? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19, 162-184. doi:10.1177/0886260503260247

Arsenio

W. F.

Lemerise

E. A.

(2001). Varieties of childhood bullying: Values, emotion processes and social competence. Social Development, 10, 59-73.

Banny

Heilborn

Ames

Prinstein

(2010). Relational benefits of relational aggression: Adaptive and maladaptive association with adolescent friendship quality. Developmental Psychology, 47, 1153-1166. doi:10.1037/a0022546

Barber

Eccles

(2003). The joy of romance: Healthy adolescent relationships as an educational agenda. In Florsheim

(Ed.), Adolescent romantic relations and sexual behavior: Theory, research, and practical implications (pp. 355-370). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Bollmer

Milich

Harris

Maras

(2005). A friend in need: The role of friendship quality as a protective factor in peer victimization and bullying. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 701-712. doi:10.1177/0886260504272897

Bookwala

Frieze

Grote

(1994). Love, aggression and satisfaction in dating relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 11, 625-632. doi:10.1177/0265407594114010

Brendgen

Vitaro

Tremblay

R. E.

Wanner

(2002). Parent and peer effects on delinquency-related violence and dating violence: A test of two mediational models. Social Development, 11, 225-244. doi:10.1111/1467-9507.00196

Brody

L. R.

Hall

J. A.

(1993). Gender and emotion. In Lewis

Haviland

J. M.

(Eds.), Handbook of emotions (pp. 447-460). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

10.

Bukowski

Sippola

Hoza

(1999). Same and other: Interdependency between participation in same- and other-sex friendships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28, 439-459.

11.

Capaldi

D. M.

Crosby

(1997). Observed and reported psychological and physical aggression in young, at-risk couples. Social Development, 6, 184-206.

12.

Capaldi

D. M.

Dishion

T. J.

Stoolmiller

Yoerger

(2001). Aggression toward female partners by at-risk young men: The contribution of male adolescent friendships. Developmental Psychology, 37, 61-73. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.37.1.61

13.

Capaldi

D. M.

Kim

Shortt

(2007). Observed initiation and reciprocity of physical aggression in at-risk couples. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 101-111.

14.

Carney

M. N.

Barner

J. R.

(2012). Prevalence of partner abuse: Rates of emotional abuse and control. Partner Abuse, 3, 286-335.

15.

Caspi

Henry

McGee

R. O.

Moffitt

T. E.

Silva

P. A.

(1995). Temperamental origins of child and adolescent behavior problems: From age tree to age fifteen. Child Development, 66, 55-68.

16.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6304.pdf

17.

Chiodo

Crooks

C. V.

Wolfe

D. A.

McIsaac

Huges

Jaffe

P. G.

(2012). Longitudinal prediction and concurrent functioning of adolescent girls demonstrating various profiles of dating violence and victimization. Prevention Science, 13, 350-359.

18.

Cillessen

A. H.

Jiang

West

Laszkowski

(2005). Predictors of dyadic friendship quality in adolescence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29, 165-172. doi:10.1080/01650250444000360

19.

Cillessen

A. H.

Mayeux

(2004). From censure to reinforcement: Developmental changes in the association between aggression and social status. Child Development, 75, 147-163.

20.

Connolly

Furman

Konarski

(2000). The role of peers in the emergence of heterosexual romantic relationships in adolescence. Child Development, 71, 1395-1408.

21.

Connolly

J. A.

Pepler

Craig

Taradash

(2000). Dating experiences of bullies in early adolescence. Child Maltreatment, 5, 299-310.

22.

Cordova

Jacobson

Gottman

Rushe

Cox

(1993). Negative reciprocity and communication in couples with a violent husband. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 559-564.

23.

Crick

N. R.

Dodge

K. A.

(1996). Social information-processing mechanisms in reactive and proactive aggression. Child Development, 67, 993-1002.

24.

Dishion

T. J.

Andrews

D. W.

Crosby

(1995). Antisocial boys and their friends in early adolescence: Relationship characteristics, quality and interactional processes. Child Development, 66, 139-151.

25.

Dishion

T. J.

Spracklen

K. M.

Andrews

D. M.

Patterson

G. R.

(1996). Deviancy training in male adolescent friendships. Behavior Therapy, 27, 373-390. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(96)80023-2

26.

Ellis

Chung-Hall

Dumas

T. M.

(2012). The role of peer group aggression in predicting adolescent dating violence and relationship quality. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 487-499. doi:10.1007/s10964-012-9797-0

27.

Ellis

Crooks

Wolfe

(2009). Relational aggression in peer and dating relationships: Links to psychological and behavioral adjustment. Social Development, 18, 253-269. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00468.x

28.

Ellis

Zarbatany

(2007). Explaining friendship formation and friendship stability: The role of children’s and friends’ aggression and victimization. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 53, 79-104. doi:10.1353/mpq.2007.0001

29.

Espelage

Holt

(2001). Bullying and victimization during early adolescence. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 2, 123-142. doi:10.1300/J135v02n02_08

30.

Exner-Cortens

Eckenrode

Rothman

(2013). Longitudinal associations between teen dating violence victimization and adverse health outcomes. Pediatrics, 131, 71-78. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-1029

31.

Foshee

V. A.

Bauman

Linder

Rice

Wilcher

(2007). Typologies of adolescent dating violence: Identifying typologies of adolescent dating violence perpetration. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 498-519.

32.

Foshee

V. A.

Reyes

H. L. M.

Ennett

S. T.

Suchindran

Mathias

J. P.

Karriker-Jaffe

. . . Benefield

T. S.

(2011). Risk and protective factors distinguishing profiles of adolescent peer and dating violence perpetration. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48, 344-350. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.07.030

33.

Furman

Collins

W. A.

(2008). Adolescent romantic relationships and experiences. In Rubin

K. H.

Bukowski

Laursen

(Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (pp. 341-360). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

34.

Furman

Shaffer

(2003). The role of romantic relationships in adolescent development. In Florsheim

(Ed.), Adolescent romantic relations and sexual behavior: Theory, research, and practical implications (pp. 3-22). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

35.

Halpern

C. T.

Oslak

S. G.

Young

M. L.

Martin

S. L.

Kupper

L. L.

(2001). Partner violence among adolescents in opposite-sex romantic relationships: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 1679-1685.

36.

Hawley

P. H.

(2003). Prosocial and coercive configurations of resource control in early adolescence: A case for the well-adapted Machiavellian. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 49, 279-305. doi:10.1353/mpq.2003.0013

37.

Hickman

Aronoff

(2004). Dating violence among adolescents: Prevalence, gender distribution and prevention program effectiveness. Trauma Violence Abuse, 5, 123-142.

38.

Jourile

McDonald

Garrido

Rosenfield

Brown

(2005). Assessing aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: Can we do it better? Psychological Assessment, 17, 469-475. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.17.4.469

39.

Lasnsford

Putallaz

Grimes

Schiro-Osman

Kupersmidt

Coie

(2006). Perceptions of friendship quality and observed behaviors with friends: How do sociometrically rejected, average, and popular girls differ? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52, 694-720.

40.

Leadbeater

Banister

Ellis

Yeung

(2008). Victimization and relational aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: The influence of parent and peer behaviors, and individual adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 359-372. doi:10.1007/s10964-007-9269-0

41.

Makin-Byrd

Bierman

, & Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2013). Individual and family predictors of the perpetration of dating violence and victimization in late adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 536-550. doi:10.1007/s10964-012-9810-7

42.

Malik

N. M.

Lindahl

K. M.

(2004). System for Coding Interactions in Dyads (SCID). In Kerig

Baucom

(Eds.), Couple observational coding systems (pp. 173-188). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

43.

Miller

Williams

Cutbush

Gibbs

Clinton-Sherrod

Jones

(2013). Dating violence, bullying, and sexual harassment: Longitudinal profiles and transitions over time. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 607-618. doi:10.1007/s10964-013-9914-8

44.

Morgan

Korobov

(2012). Interpersonal identity formation in conversation with close friends about dating relationships. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1471-1483.

45.

O’Leary

K. D.

Slep

A. M. S.

(2003). A dyadic longitudinal model of adolescent dating violence. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 32, 314-327. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3203_01

46.

Olweus

(1991). Bully/victim problems and school children: Some basic facts and effects of school-based intervention program. In Pepler

Rubin

(Eds.), The development and treatment of childhood aggression (pp. 411-448). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

47.

Preacher

K. J.

Curran

P. J.

Bauer

D. J.

(2006). Computational tools for probing interaction effects in multiple linear regression, multilevel modeling and latent curve analysis. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 31, 437-448. doi:10.3102/10769986031004437

48.

Prinstein

M. J.

Boergers

Vernberg

(2001). Overt and relational aggression in adolescents: Social-psychological adjustment of aggressors and victims. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 30, 479-491. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_05

49.

Rose

A. J.

Swenson

L. P.

(2009). Do perceived popular adolescents who aggress against others experience emotional adjustment problems themselves? Developmental Psychology, 45, 868-872. doi:10.1037/a0015408

50.

Rubin

K. H.

Bukowski

Parker

(2006). Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In Damon

Eisenberg

(Eds.), Handbook of child psychology, Vol. 3: Social, emotional, and personality development (pp. 571-645). New York, NY: Wiley.

51.

Rulison

Gest

Loken

(2013). Dynamic social networks and physical aggression: The moderating role of gender and social status among peers. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23, 437-449. doi:10.1111/jora.12044

52.

Rusbult

Johnson

Morrow

(1986). Impact of couple patterns of problem solving on distress and nondistress in dating relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 744-753.

53.

Salmivalli

(2010). Bullying and the peer group: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15, 112-120.

54.

Salmivalli

Huttunen

Lagerspetz

K. M. J.

(1997). Peer networks and bullying in schools. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 38, 305-312.

55.

Scholte

Engels

Overbeek

de Kemp

Haselager

(2007). Stability in bullying and victimization and its association with social adjustment in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 217-228. doi:10.1007/s10802-006-9074-3

56.

Schwartz

Gorman

Nakamoto

Toblin

(2005). Victimization in the peer group and children’s academic functioning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 425-435.

57.

Seiffge-Krenke

Lang

S. M.

(2002). Factors contributing to gender differences in depressive symptoms: A test of three developmental models. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31, 405-417.

58.

Silverman

J. G.

Raj

Mucci

L. A.

Hathaway

J. E.

(2001). Dating violence against adolescent girls and associated substance use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality. Journal of American Medical Association, 286, 572-579. doi:10.1001/jama.286.5.572

59.

Wolfe

D. A.

Crooks

Chiodo

Huges

Ellis

(2012). Observations of adolescent peer resistance skills following a classroom-based healthy relationship program: A post-intervention comparison. Prevention Science, 13, 196-205. doi:10.1007/s11121-011-0256-z

60.

Wolfe

D. A.

Scott

K. A.

Crooks

(2005). Abuse and violence in adolescent girls’ dating relationships. In Bell

Foster

Mash

(Eds.), Handbook of behavioral and emotional problems in girls: Issues in clinical child psychology (pp. 381-414). New York, NY: Kluwer Academic.

61.

Wolfe

D. A.

Scott

Reitzel-Jaffe

Wekerle

(2001). Development and validation of the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 13, 277-293. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.13.2.277

62.

Wolfe

D. A.

Scott

Wekerle

Pittman

(2001). Child maltreatment: Risk of adjustment problems and dating violence in adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 282-298. doi:10.1097/00004583-200103000-00007