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Aggressive behavior in response to violence exposure: is it adaptive for middle‐school children?
Author(s) -
Salzinger Suzanne,
Rosario Margaret,
Feldman Richard S.,
NgMak Daisy S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20275
Subject(s) - aggression , juvenile delinquency , psychology , anxiety , developmental psychology , association (psychology) , poison control , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , medical emergency , psychotherapist
The role of aggression in adaptation to family and community violence was examined in a sample of 667 inner‐city schoolchildren studied annually over three years in middle school. Regression analyses indicated that the association between Year 1 exposure to family and community violence and Year 2 aggression was mediated by aggression occurring contemporaneously with Year 1 exposure. Cognitive justification of aggression and friends' delinquency made small independent contributions to prediction of Year 2 aggression, delinquency, and externalizing behaviors. Year 2 aggression mediated the association between Year 1 community violence victimization and Year 3 negative adaptation (internalizing problems, anxiety, and depression). Year 2 aggression also mediated the negative association between Year 1 witnessing community violence and Year 3 positive adaptation (self‐esteem). Cognitive justification of aggression and friends' delinquency made independent contributions to Year 3 negative adaptation. The pattern of relations among variables infrequently varied by gender. Implications for intervention are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.