Abstract
This chapter includes the first systematic attempt to examine the association between bullying perpetration and sexual violence perpetration among a middle school sample and the most comprehensive longitudinal study to examine whether risk (e.g., anger, family violence exposure) and protective factors (e.g., caring, school support) predict these two behaviors among female middle school students (N = 576). Using longitudinal data, two separate regression analyses were performed to predict future bullying and sexual violence perpetration by middle school girls. The strongest predictors of bullying perpetration over a 2-year period were sibling aggression, depression, and delinquency, after controlling for baseline levels of bully perpetration. Additionally, greater perceived family social support was associated with less bullying perpetration over time. For sexual harassment perpetration, significant predictors included attitudes that were dismissive of sexual harassment and earlier sexual harassment perpetration. The lack of overlap between predictors for these two behaviors suggests that sexual harassment perpetration among girls in middle school could not be explained by predictors that are well documented in the bullying literature. Much more scholarship needs to focus on identifying what predicts sexual harassment perpetration among girls. Finally, the assumption that addressing risk and protective factors associated with bullying perpetration might reduce sexual violence perpetration over time was not supported. Additional results and implications are presented.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL/4-18, YSR, and TRF profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. (1993). Hostile hallways: The AAUW survey on sexual harassment in America’s schools (No. 923012). Washington, DC: Harris/Scholastic Research.
American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. (2001). Hostile hallways: Bullying, teasing and sexual harassment in school. Washington, DC.
Arthur, M. W., Hawkins, J. D., Pollard, J., Catalano, R. F., & Baglioni, A. J. (2002). Measuring risk and protective factors for substance use, delinquency, and other adolescent problem behaviors: The communities that care youth survey. Evaluation Review, 26(6), 575–601.
Bacchini, D., Esposity, G., & Affuso, G. (2009). Social experience and school bullying. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 19, 17–32.
Baldry, A. C., & Farrington, D. P. (2000). Bullies and delinquents: personal characteristics ad parental styles. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 10, 17–31.
Basile, K. C., Espelage, D. L., Rivers, I., McMahon, P. M., & Simon, T. R. (2009). The theoretical and empirical links between bullying behavior and male sexual violence perpetration. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14(5), 336–347.
Basile, K. C., & Saltzman, L. E. (2002). Sexual violence surveillance: Uniform definitions and recommended data elements version 1.0. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/sv_surveillance/sv.htm.
Bauer, N. S., Herrenkohl, T. I., Lozano, P., Rivara, F. P., Hill, K. G., & Hawkins, J. D. (2006). Childhood bullying involvement and exposure to intimate partner violence. Pediatrics, 118, 235–242
Birkett, M., & Espelage, D. L. (in press). Homophobic name-calling, peer-groups, and masculinity: The socialization of homophobic behavior in adolescents. Social Development.
Bosworth, K., Espelage, D. L., & Simon, T. R. (1999). Factors associated with bullying behavior in middle school students. Journal of Early Adolescence, 19(3), 341–362.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Towards an experimental ecology of education. Teachers College Record, 78, 157–204.
Charmaraman, L., Jones, A. E., Stein, N., & Espelage, D. L. (in press). Is it bullying or sexual harassment? Knowledge, attitudes, and professional development experiences of middle school staff. Journal of School Health.
Cook, C. R., Williams, K. R., Guerra, N. G., Kim, T., & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25, 65–83.
Corvo, K., & deLara, E. (2010). Towards an integrated theory of relational violence: Is bullying a risk factor for domestic violence? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15(3), 181–190.
Crick, N. R. (1996). The role of relational aggression, overt aggression, and prosocial behavior in the prediction of children’s future social adjustment. Child Development, 67, 2317–2327.
Demaray, M. K., & Malecki, C. K. (2003). Perceptions of the frequency and importance of social support by students classified as victims, bullies, and bully/victims in an urban middle school. School Psychology Review, 32(3), 471–489.
DeSouza, E. R., & Ribeiro, J. (2005). Bullying and sexual harassment among Brazilian high school students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(9), 1018–1038.
Ehrensaft, M. K. (2005). Interpersonal relationships and sex differences in the development of conduct problems. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 8(1), 39–63.
Endresen, I. M., & Olweus, D. (2001). Self-reported empathy in Norwegian adolescents: Sex differences, age trends, and relationship to bullying. In A. C. Bohart, C. Arthur, & D. J. Stipek (Eds.), Constructive & destructive behavior: Implications for family, school, & society (pp. 147–165). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Espelage, D. L., Basile, K. C., & Hamburger, M. E. (2012). Bullying experiences and co-occurring sexual violence perpetration among middle school students: Shared and unique risk factors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50, 60–65.
Espelage, D. L., Bosworth, K., & Simon, T. R. (2000). Examining the social context of bullying behaviors in early adolescence. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78, 326–333.
Espelage, D. L., Bosworth, K., & Simon, T. R. (2001). Short-term stability and prospective correlates of bullying in middle-school students: An examination of potential demographic, psychosocial, and environmental influences. Violence and Victims, 16, 411–426.
Espelage, D. L., & De La Rue, L. (2011). School bullying: Its nature and ecology. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 24, 3–10.
Espelage, D. L., & Holt, M. (2001). Bullying and victimization during early adolescence: Peer influences and psychosocial correlates. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 2, 123–142.
Espelage, D. L., & Holt, M. K. (2012). Understanding and preventing bullying and sexual harassment in school. In K. R. Harris, S. Graham, T. Urdan, S. Graham, J. M. Royer, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), APA educational psychology handbook, vol 2: Individual differences and cultural and contextual factors (pp. 391–416). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Espelage, D. L., Holt, M. K., & Henkel, R. R. (2003). Examination of peer-group contextual effects on aggression during early adolescence. Child Development, 74, 205–220.
Espelage, D. L., Mebane, S. E., & Adams, R. S. (2004). Empathy, caring, and bullying: Toward an understanding of complex associations. In D. L. Espelage & S. M. Swearer (Eds.), Bullying in American schools: A social ecological perspective on prevention and intervention (pp. 37–61). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Espelage, D. L., & Stein, N. D. (2006). The University of Illinois and Wellesley College: Student behavior survey. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Educational Psychology.
Farrell, A. D., Danish, S. J., & Howard, C. W. (1992). Risk factors for drug use in urban adolescents: Identification and cross validation. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 263–286.
Farrell, A. D., Kung, E. M., White, K. S., & Valois, R. (2000). The structure of self-reported aggression, drug use, and delinquent behaviors during early adolescence. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 282–292.
Farrington, D. P., & Ttofi, M. M. (2011). Bullying as a predictor of offending, violence and later life outcomes. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 21, 90-98. doi: 10.1002/cbm.801
Glew, G. M., Fan, M. Y., Katon, W., Rivara, F. P., & Kernic, M. A. (2005). Bullying, psychosocial adjustment, and academic performance in elementary school. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 159, 1026–1031.
Hong, J. S., & Espelage, D. L. (2012). A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school: An ecological systems analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17, 311–322.
Jeffrey. L. R., Miller, D., & Linn, M. (2001). Middle school bullying as a context for the development of passive observers to the victimization of others. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 2, 143–156. doi: 10.1300/J135v02n02_09.
Jennings, W. G., Maldonado-Molina, M. M., & Komro, K. A. (2010). Sex similarities/differences in trajectories of delinquency among urban Chicago youth: The role of delinquent peers. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 35(1–2), 56–75.
Jessor, R., & Jessor, S. L. (1977). Problem behavior in psychosocial development: A longitudinal study of youth. New York: Academic.
Juvonen, J., Graham, S., & Schuster, B. (2003). Bullying among young adolescents: The strong, weak, and troubled. Pediatrics, 112, 1231–1237.
Loeber, R., & Dishion, T. J. (1984). Boys who fight at home and school: Family conditions Âinfluencing cross-setting consistency. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 759–768. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.52.5.759
McCloskey, L. A., & Lichter, E. L. (2003). The contribution of marital violence to adolescent aggression across different relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18, 390–412.
McCloskey, L. A., & Stuewig, J. (2001). The quality of peer relationships among children exposed to family violence. Development and Psychopathology, 13, 83–96.
Molcho, M., Craig, W., Due, P., Pickett, W., Harel-Fisch, Y., & Overpeck, M. (2009). Cross-national time trends in bullying behaviour 1994–2006: Findings from Europe and North America. International Journal of Public Health, 54, 225–234.
Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094–2100.
Olweus, D. (1995). Bullying or peer abuse at schools: Facts and intervention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 196–200.
Olweus, D. (2001). Peer harassment: A critical analysis and some important issues. In J. Juvonen & S. Graham (Eds.), Peer harassment in schools: The plight of the vulnerable and the victimized. New York: Guilford.
Orpinas, P. (1993). Skills training and social influences for violence prevention in middle schools. A curriculum evaluation (Doctoral dissertation, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston School of Public Health). Dissertation Abstracts International, 54(8-B), 4103.
Pepler, D. J., Craig, W. M., Connolly, J., & Henderson, K. (2002). Bullying, sexual harassment, dating violence, and substance use among adolescents. In C. Wekerle & A.-M. Wall (Eds.), The violence and addiction equation: Theoretical and clinical issues in substance abuse and relationship violence (pp. 153–168). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Pepler, D. J., Craig, W. M., Connolly, J. A., Yulie, A., McMaster, L., & Jiang, D. (2006). A developmental perspective on bullying. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 376–384. doi: 10.1002/ab.20136
Richters, J. E., & Martinez, P. (1990). Things I have seen and heard: A structured interview for assessing youth children’s violence exposure (p. 1990). Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health.
Skues, J. L., Cunningham, E. G., & Pokharel, T. (2005). The influence of bullying behaviours on sense of school connectedness, motivation and self-esteem. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 15, 17–26.
Stein, N. (2003). Bullying or sexual harassment: The missing discourse of rights in an era of zero tolerance. University Arizona Law Review, 45(3), 783–799.
Taylor, B., & Stein, N. (2007). Preliminary pilot research results from on-going National Institute of Justice research grant, #2005-WT-BX-002. Development and evaluation of sexual violence/harassment prevention programs in middle schools. Unpublished manuscript.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. §1681, §1687).
Vaux, A., Phillips, J., Holly, L., Thomson, B., Williams, D., & Stewart, D. (1986). The social support appraisals (SS-A) scale: Studies of reliability and validity. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 195–218.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Espelage, D.L., De La Rue, L. (2013). Examining Predictors of Bullying and Sexual Violence Perpetration Among Middle School Female Students. In: Russell, B. (eds) Perceptions of Female Offenders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5871-5_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5871-5_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5870-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5871-5
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)