Bullies in Life and Love: A Longitudinal Analysis of Bullying and Adolescent Relationship Abuse

Abstract

Adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) and bullying are specific brands of adolescent violence. Research for both draw upon similar theoretical frameworks and dictates that attributes of perpetrators of either behavior are similar enough to warrant thorough research to determine their level of association. The current study builds upon previous research by examining the association of bullying and ARA. This relationship is examined using the Bullying, Sexual, and Dating Violence Trajectories from Early to Late Adolescence survey. Random effects regression analyses were used to evaluate physical, verbal, sexual, and relational ARA. Results indicate that active bullying and active bullying victimization have strong associations across all four dependent variables, especially when controlling for race and gender in some models.