The impact of violence exposure on aggressive behavior through social information processing in adolescents

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

Volumn 81, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 38-50

  Calvete, Esther ^a   Orue, Izaskun ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF DEUSTO   (Spain)

Author keywords

Adolescents; Aggressive behavior; Basque country; Community violence; Exposure to violence; Home violence; Political violence; School violence; Social information processing; Spain; Structural equation modeling; Victimization

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; AGGRESSION; ARTICLE; CHILD; FEMALE; HOSTILITY; HUMAN; INFORMATION PROCESSING; LONGITUDINAL STUDY; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; PREDICTION; PROACTIVE INHIBITION; REACTIVE INHIBITION; SCHOOL CHILD; SOCIAL INFORMATION PROCESSING; VICTIM; VIOLENCE; WITNESS;

ADOLESCENT; ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR; AGGRESSION; COGNITION; FEMALE; HUMANS; INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; MALE; MODELS, PSYCHOLOGICAL; MODELS, STATISTICAL; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; VIOLENCE;

EID: 78650992715     PISSN: 00029432     EISSN: 19390025     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01070.x     Document Type: Article

References (76)

1. Aarons, G. A., Brown, S. A., Hough, R. L., Garland, A. F., & Wood, P. A. (2001). Prevalence of adolescent substance use disorders across five sectors of care. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 419-426. DOI:
2. Allwood, M. A., & Bell, D. J. (2008). A preliminary examination of emotional and cognitive mediators in the relations between violence exposure and violent behaviors in youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 36, 989-1007. DOI:
3. Anderson, C. A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L. R., Johnson, J. D., Linz, D., & Wartella, E. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4, 81-110. DOI:
4. Andreu, J. M., Peña, M. E., & Ramírez, J. M. (2009). Cuestionario de agresión reactiva y proactiva: Un instrumento de medida de la agresión en adolescentes [Reactive and proactive aggression questionnaire: A measuring instrument of aggression in adolescents]. Revista De Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica, 14, 37-49.
5. Arias Álvarez, M., Sánchez Bayle, M., Gancedo García, C., Martin Marín, R., Estepa Soto, M. R., & Diaz Martinez, M. E. (2004). Nivel socioeconómico y consumo de recursos sanitarios en atención primaria [Socioeconomic status and health resource consumption in primary care]. Anales De Pediatria, 61, 292-297.
6. Baldry, A. C. (2003). Bullying in schools and exposure to domestic violence. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, 713-732. DOI:
7. Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning analysis. Oxford, England: Prentice-Hall.
8. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
9. Bradshaw, C. P., Rodgers, C. R. R., Ghandour, L. A., & Garbarino, J. (2009). Social-cognitive mediators of the association between community violence exposure and aggressive behavior. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 199-210. DOI:
10. Buka, S. L., Stichick, T. L., Birdthistle, I., & Earls, F. J. (2001). Youth exposure to violence: Prevalence, risks, and consequences. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 71, 298-310. DOI:
11. Calvete, E. (2007). Justification of violence beliefs and social problem-solving as mediators between maltreatment and behavior problems in adolescents. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 10, 131-140.
12. Calvete, E., & Orue, I. (2009). Evaluación del procesamiento de la información social en adolescentes españoles y su asociación con la conducta agresiva [Assessment of social information processing in adolescents and its association with aggressive behavior]. Psicología Conductual, 17, 523-542.
13. Calvete, E., & Orue, I. (2010). Cognitive schemas and aggressive behavior in adolescents: The mediating role of social information processing. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 13, 189-200.
14. Calvete, E., Orue, I., Estévez, A., Villardón, L., & Padilla, P. (2010). Cyberbullying in adolescents: Modalities and aggressors' profile. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 1128-1135. DOI:
15. Calvete, E., Orue, I., & Sampedro, R. (in press). Violencia filio-parental en la adolescencia: Factores ambientales y personales [Child-parents violence in adolescence: Contextual and personal factors]. Infancia y Aprendizaje.
16. Camodeca, M., & Goossens, F. A. (2005). Aggression, social cognitions, anger, and sadness in bullies and victims. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46, 186-197. DOI:
17. Cole, D. A., & Maxwell, S. E. (2003). Testing mediational models with longitudinal data: Questions and tips in the use of structural equation modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 558-577. DOI:
18. Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (1999). Adolescent stories. Retrieved from .
19. Cox, C. E., Kotch, J. B., & Everson, M. D. (2003). A longitudinal study of modifying influences in the relationship between domestic violence and child maltreatment. Journal of Family Violence, 18, 5-17. DOI:
20. Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1994). A review and reformulation of social information-processing mechanisms in children's social adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 74-101. DOI:
21. Dempsey, M. (2002). Negative coping as mediator in the relation between violence and outcomes: Inner-city African American youth. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72, 102-109. DOI:
22. Dodge, K. A. (1986). A social information processing model of social competence in children. In M. Perlmutter (Ed.), The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology: Vol. 18. Cognitive perspectives on children's social and behavioral development (pp. 77-125). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
23. Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250, 1678-1683. DOI:
24. Dodge, K. A., & Coie, J. D. (1987). Social-information-processing factors in reactive and proactive aggression in children's peer groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 1146-1158. DOI:
25. Dodge, K. A., & Pettit, G. S. (2003). A biopsychosocial model of the development of chronic conduct problems in adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 39, 349-371. DOI:
26. Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., & Valente, E. (1995). Social information-processing patterns partially mediate the effect of early physical abuse on later conduct problems. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104, 632-643. DOI:
27. Erath, S. A., & Bierman, K. L. (2006). Aggressive marital conflict, maternal harsh punishment, and child aggressive-disruptive behavior: Evidence for direct and mediated relations. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 217-226. DOI:
28. Evans, S. E., Davies, C., & DiLillo, D. (2008). Exposure to domestic violence: A meta-analysis of child and adolescent outcomes. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 13, 131-140. DOI:
29. Flannery, D. J., Singer, M. I., & Wester, K. (2001). Violence exposure, psychological trauma, and suicide risk in a community sample of dangerously violent adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 435-442. DOI:
30. Flannery, D. J., Wester, K. L., & Singer, M. I. (2004). Impact of exposure to violence in school on child and adolescent mental health and behavior. Journal of Community Psychology, 32, 559-573. DOI:
31. Fossati, A., Raine, A., Borroni, S., Bizzozero, A., Volpi, E., Santalucia, I., & Maffei, C. (2009). A cross-cultural study of the psychometric properties of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire among Italian nonclinical adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 21, 131-135. DOI:
32. Fowler, P. J., Tompsett, C. J., Braciszewski, J. M., Jacques-Tiura, A., & Baltes, B. B. (2009). Community violence: A meta-analysis on the effect of exposure and mental health outcomes of children and adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 227-259. DOI:
33. Garaigordobil, M., Maganto, C., Pérez, J. I., & Sansinenea, E. (2009). Gender differences in socioemotional factors during adolescence and effects of a violence prevention program. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44, 468-477. DOI:
34. Garland, A. F., Hough, R. L., McCabe, K. M., Yeh, M., Wood, P. A., & Aarons, G. A. (2001). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in youths across five sectors of care. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 409-418. DOI:
35. Guerra, N. G., Huesmann, L. R., & Spindler, A. (2003). Community violence exposure, social cognition, and aggression among urban elementary school children. Child Development, 74, 1561-1576. DOI:
36. Hankin, B. L., & Abramson, L. Y. (2001). Development of gender differences in depression: An elaborated cognitive vulnerability-transactional stress theory. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 773-796. DOI:
37. Hanson, R. F., Borntrager, C., Self-Brown, S., Kilpatrick, D. G., Saunders, B. E., Resnick, H. S., & Amstadter, A. (2008). Relations among gender, violence exposure, and mental health: The national survey of adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78, 313-321. DOI:
38. Hanson, R. F., Self-Brown, S., Fricker-Elhai, A., Kilpatrick, D. G., Saunders, B. E., & Resnick, H. S. (2006). The relations between family environment and violence exposure among youth: Findings from the national survey of adolescents. Child Maltreatment, 11, 3-15. DOI:
39. Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1-55.
40. Huesmann, L. R. (1998). The role of social information processing and cognitive schema in the acquisition and maintenance of habitual aggressive behavior. In R. G. Geen & E. Donnerstein (Eds.), Human aggression: Theories, research, and implications for social policy (pp. 73-109). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
41. Huesmann, L. R., & Guerra, N. G. (1997). Children's normative beliefs about aggression and aggressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 408-419. DOI:
42. Ivarsson, T., Broberg, A. G., Arvidsson, T., & Gillberg, C. (2005). Bullying in adolescence: Psychiatric problems in victims and bullies as measured by the Youth Self Report (YSR) and the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS). Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 59, 365-373. DOI:
43. Jenkins, J., Simpson, A., Dunn, J., Rasbash, J., & O'Connor, T. G. (2005). Mutual influence of marital conflict and children's behavior problems: Shared and nonshared family risks. Child Development, 76, 24-39. DOI:
44. Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (2006). LISREL 8.8 for Windows [Computer software]. Lincolnwood, IL: Scientific Software International, Inc.
45. Kilpatrick, D. G., Ruggiero, K. J., Acierno, R., Saunders, B. E., Resnick, H. S., & Best, C. L. (2003). Violence and risk of PTSD, major depression, substance abuse/dependence, and comorbidity: Results from the national survey of adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 692-700. DOI:
46. Kliewer, W., Lepore, S. J., Oskin, D., & Johnson, P. D. (1998). The role of social and cognitive processes in children's adjustment to community violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 199-209. DOI:
47. Lansford, J. E., Malone, P. S., Dodge, K. A., Crozier, J. C., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2006). A 12-year prospective study of patterns of social information processing problems and externalizing behaviors. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 715-724. DOI:
48. Leff, S. S., Crick, N. R., Angelucci, J., Haye, K., Jawad, A. F., Grossman, M., & Power, T. J. (2006). Social cognition in context: Validating a cartoon-based attributional measure for urban girls. Child Development, 77, 1351-1358. DOI:
49. Lemerise, E. A., & Arsenio, W. F. (2000). An integrated model of emotion processes and cognition in social information processing. Child Development, 71, 107-118. DOI:
50. Little, T. D., Slegers, D. W., & Card, N. A. (2006). A non-arbitrary method of identifying and scaling latent variables in SEM and MACS models. Structural Equation Modeling, 13, 59-72. DOI:
51. Lochman, J. E., & Wells, K. C. (2004). The coping power program for preadolescent aggressive boys and their parents: Outcome effects at the 1-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 571-578. DOI:
52. Lochman, J. E., Wells, K. C., & Murray, M. (2007). The coping power program: Preventive intervention at the middle school transition. In P. Tolan, J. Szapocznik, & S. Sambrano (Eds.), Preventing youth substance abuse: Science-based programs for children and adolescents (pp. 185-210). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. DOI:
53. MacCallum, R. C., & Hong, S. (1997). Power analysis in covariance structure modeling using GFI and AGFI. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 32, 193-210.
54. Marcus, N. E., Lindahl, K. M., & Malik, N. M. (2001). Interparental conflict, children's social cognitions, and child aggression: A test of a mediational model. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 315-333. DOI:
55. Martinez, P., & Richters, J. E. (1993). The NIMH community violence project: II. Children's distress symptoms associated with violence exposure. Psychiatry, 56, 22-35.
56. McCabe, K. M., Lucchini, S. E., Hough, R. L., Yeh, M., & Hazen, A. (2005). The relation between violence exposure and conduct problems among adolescents: A prospective study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 75, 575-584. DOI:
57. Mrug, S., Loosier, P. S., & Windle, M. (2008). Violence exposure across multiple contexts: Individual and joint effects on adjustment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78, 70-84. DOI:
58. Musher-Eizenman, D., Boxer, P., Danner, S., Dubow, E. F., Goldstein, S. E., & Heretick, D. M. L. (2004). Social-cognitive mediators of the relation of environmental and emotion regulation factors to children's aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 30, 389-408. DOI:
59. Nas, C. N., Orobio de Castro, B., & Koops, W. (2005). Social information processing in delinquent adolescents. Psychology, Crime, and Law, 11, 363-375. DOI:
60. Olweus, D. (1993). Bullies on the playground: The role of victimization. In C. H. Hart (Ed.), Children on playgrounds: Research perspectives and applications. (pp. 85-128). Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
61. O'Moore, M., & Kirkham, C. (2001). Self-esteem and its relationship to bullying behavior. Aggressive Behavior, 27, 269-283.
62. Orobio de Castro, B. (2000). Social information processing and emotion in antisocial boys. Amsterdam: PI Research.
63. Orobio de Castro, B., Merk, W., Koops, W., Veerman, J. W., & Bosch, J. D. (2005). Emotions in social information processing and their relations with reactive and proactive aggression in referred aggressive boys. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 34, 105-116. DOI:
64. Orobio de Castro, B., Veerman, J. W., Koops, W., Bosch, J. D., & Monshouwer, H. J. (2002). Hostile attribution of intent and aggressive behavior: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 73, 916-934. DOI:
65. Orue, I., & Calvete, E. (2010). Development and validation of a questionnaire to measure exposure to violence. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 10, 279-292.
66. Osofsky, J. D. (2003). Prevalence of children's exposure to domestic violence and child maltreatment: Implications for prevention and intervention. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6, 161-170. DOI:
67. Overstreet, S., & Braun, S. (2000). Exposure to community violence and post-traumatic stress symptoms: Mediating factors. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70, 263-271. DOI:
68. Patterson, G. R. (1982). A social learning approach: Vol. 3. Coercive family process. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
69. Raine, A., Dodge, K., Loeber, R., Gatzke-Kopp, L., Lynam, D., Reynolds, C., & Liu, J. (2006). The reactive-proactive aggression questionnaire: Differential correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in adolescent boys. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 159-171. DOI:
70. Schwartz, D., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1997). The early socialization of aggressive victims of bullying. Child Development, 68, 665-675. DOI:
71. Schwartz, D., & Proctor, L. J. (2000). Community violence exposure and children's social adjustment in the school peer group: The mediating roles of emotion regulation and social cognition. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 670-683. DOI:
72. Shahinfar, A., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Matza, L. S. (2001). The relation between exposure to violence and social information processing among incarcerated adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110, 136-141. DOI:
73. Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7, 422-445.
74. Weiss, B., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1992). Some consequences of early harsh discipline: Child aggression and a maladaptive social information processing style. Child Development, 63, 1321-1335. DOI:
75. Wilson, H. W., Stover, C. S., & Berkowitz, S. J. (2009). Research review: The relationship between childhood violence exposure and juvenile antisocial behavior: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 769-779.
76. Zelli, A., Dodge, K. A., Lochman, J. E., Laird, R. D., & Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (1999). The distinction between beliefs legitimizing aggression and deviant processing of social cues: Testing measurement validity and the hypothesis that biased processing mediates the effects of beliefs on aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 150-166. DOI: