Patterns of Dating Aggression and Victimization in Relation to School Environment Factors Among Middle School Students

Abstract

This study examined relations between patterns of dating aggression and victimization and school environment factors among 4,114 early adolescents attending 37 middle schools in four sites in the United States (51% Black, non-Hispanic, 21% Hispanic, and 17% White). Latent class analyses revealed a five-class solution that differentiated among youth classified as uninvolved (54%), psychologically aggressive victims (18%), aggressors (11%), victims (11%), and aggressive victims (5%). These groups differed in their perceptions of school environment factors, including the quality of student–student and student–teacher relationships, awareness/reporting of violence, school safety problems, and school norms for aggression and nonviolence. Our findings underscore the need for dating violence prevention efforts in early adolescence and the relevance of school environment and more selective interventions.