Longitudinal Family Predictors of Adolescents’ Experiences of Physical and Psychological Aggression in Their

Dating Relationships

Phyllis Holditch Niolon, M.A.

Gabriel P. Kuperminc, Ph.D.Georgia State University

David C. Tate, Ph.D.Yale University School of Medicine

Presented at the 2005 Biennial Conference of the Society for Research on Child Development, Atlanta, GA, April 7-10

Acknowledgements

• Dissertation committee

• Joseph P. Allen, Ph.D, PI of VSTF

• Past graduate students, undergraduates, and staff of the Virginia Study for Teens and Families

• Wrenn Thompson, project coordinator of the KLIFF project

Background

• Prevalence of adolescent dating aggression (ADA)

• Risk factors and correlates

• Limitations of current research

• Developmental psychopathology (Cicchetti, 1984)

• Autonomy and relatedness as a potentially relevant developmental process

The Current Study

• Examines how mothers’ and adolescents’ negotiation of autonomy and relatedness with one another longitudinally predicts adolescent involvement with dating aggression.

• Examines gender, race/ethnicity, and risk as potential moderating factors

Participants

• N=88

• 55% Caucasian, 44% African-American

• 48% Female

• 33% “At-risk”

• Mean age at Time 1= 15.8 (0.87)

• Mean age at Time 2= 18.2 (1.11)

• Mean income=$31, 322 ($19,747)

Procedure

• Recruited from local high schools

• Consenting families brought in for two waves of data collection

• Participants compensated for their time

• Transportation and child care provided when necessary

Variables

• Autonomy and Relatedness Variables (W1)– Mother’s Supporting and Inhibiting– Adolescent’s Supporting and Inhibiting

• Aggression Variables (W2)– Physical Perpetration and Victimization– Psychological Perpetration and Victimization

• Demographic Variables (W1)

Results

• Preliminary Analyses

• Few main effects of relatedness were consistent with hypotheses

• Autonomy findings were contrary to hypotheses and were predominantly characterized by interactions with gender, race/ethnicity, and risk

Interaction of Gender with Maternal Autonomy Support in Predicting

Physical Perpetration

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Low High

Mother's Behaviors Supporting of Autonomy

Phy

sica

l Per

petr

atio

n

Boys

Girls

Interaction of Gender with Maternal Autonomy Support in Predicting

Physical Victimization

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

Low High

Mothe r's Be haviors Supporting of Autonom y

Phy

sica

l Vic

tim

izat

ion

Boys

Girls

Interaction of Risk with Adolescent Autonomy Support in Predicting

Physical Perpetration

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Low High

Te e n's Be haviors Supporting Autonom y

Phy

sica

l Per

petr

atio

n

Not at Risk

At Risk

Interaction of Race/Ethnicity with Adolescent Autonomy Support in

Predicting Psychological Perpetration

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Low High

Te e n 's Be haviors Supporting Autonom y

Psy

chol

ogic

al P

erpe

trat

ion

Caucasian

Minority

Implications

• Autonomy and relatedness predict ADA in distinct ways

• Importance of ecological and contextual factors in the role of autonomy in dating aggression

• Potential different meanings of/reasons for the use of aggression by moderators

Strengths

• Theoretical framework--first study to examine autonomy and relatedness as predictors of ADA

• Multi-method, longitudinal design• Highlights possibility of different pathways

to aggression for different groups of adolescents

• Examines perpetration and victimization

Limitations

• Small sample size, limited power

• Unable to examine the context of the dating relationships themselves

• Did not examine fathers’ role in AR negotiation

• Could not examine peer factors that may be more salient at this age

Future Directions

• Examine potential differential pathways to ADA by gender, race/ethnicity and risk as markers of ecological context

• Incorporate the context of aggression within dating relationships

• Explore impact of autonomy and relatedness with peers

Contact Information

Phyllis Holditch Niolon

pholditch@gsu.edu

Gabe Kuperminc

gkuperminc@gsu.edu

Dave Tate

david.tate@yale.edu

Mothers’ Supporting Behaviors Negatively Predicting ADA

Physical Psychological Perpetration Victimization Perpetration Victimization Variable β β β β

Step 1 Gender .37** -.02 .37** .14

R² .11** .00 .11** .02 Step 2

Mothers’ Behaviors Supporting Autonomy -.03 -.24 .28** -.20 Mothers’ Behaviors Supporting Relatedness -.03 .02 -.11 .02

Change in R² .07* .01 .07* .01 Step 3

Mothers’ Behaviors Supporting Autonomy X Gender .41** .45** -- .33* Change in R² .10** .11** -- .06*

R² for final model .28** .13* .18** .09 Overall F for final model F (4, 83)=7.85** F (4, 83)=2.98* F (3, 84)=6.05** F (4, 83)=1.92

Mothers’ Inhibiting Behaviors Positively Predicting ADA

Physical Psychological Perpetration Victimization Perpetration Victimization Variable β β β β

Step 1 Gender .36** -- .34** -- Race/Ethnicity .26* -- -- --

R² .18** -- .11** -- Step 2 Step 1 Step 1

Mothers’ Behaviors Inhibiting Autonomy .15 .07 .08 -.06 Mothers’ Behaviors Inhibiting Relatedness -.02 .12 .20+ .27*

Change in R² .02 .03 .06* .06+ R² for final model .20** .03 .17** .06+ Overall F for final model F (4, 83)=5.29** F (2, 85)=1.27 F (3, 84)=5.69** F (2, 85)=2.83+

Adolescents’ Supporting Behaviors Negatively Predicting ADA

Physical Psychological Perpetration Victimization Perpetration Victimization Variable β β β β

Step 1 Gender .25* .27* -- Race/ethnicity .25* .02 .16 -- Risk Status .20 -- --

R² .19** .00 .11** -- Step 2 Step 1

Adolescents’ Behaviors Supporting Autonomy -.03 -.23 .02 .06 Adolescents’ Behaviors Supporting Relatedness .02 -.11 -.05 -.08

Change in R² .02 .01 .03 .01 Step 3

Adolescents’ Behaviors Supporting Autonomy X Race/Ethn. -- .28+ .29+ -- Adolescents’ Behaviors Supporting Autonomy X Risk Status .32* -- --

Change in R² .05* .04+ .04+ -- R² for final model .25** .05 .18** .01 Overall F for final model F (6, 81)=4.61** F (4, 83)=1.00 F (5, 82)=3.52** F (2, 85)=0.24

Adolescents’ Inhibiting Behaviors Positively Predicting ADA

Physical Psychological Perpetration Victimization Perpetration Victimization Variable β β β β

Step 1 Gender .36** -.02 .28* -- Race/Ethnicity .26* -- -- -- Risk Status -- -- -- --

R² .18** .00 .11** -- Step 2 Step 1

Adolescents’ Behaviors Inhibiting Autonomy -.001 -.08 .16 -.03 Adolescents’ Behaviors Inhibiting Relatedness -.04 .34+ .02 .21

Change in R² .00 .00 .03 .04 Step 3

Adolescents’ Behaviors Inhibiting Relatedness X Gender -- -.38* -- -- Change in R² -- .06* -- --

R² for final model .19** .07 .14** .04 Overall F for final model F (4, 83)=4.71** F (4, 83)=1.53 F (3, 84)=4.40** F (2, 85)=1.62