This study examined heterogeneity in parental and community violence exposure during middle school and its association with bullying perpetration and victimization in high school.
Youth (N = 1,611) in four Midwestern middle schools participated. Parallel process growth mixture latent transition analysis was used to understand how trajectory profiles of middle school violence exposure was associated with high school bullying profiles. Impulsivity, depression, school belonging, and delinquency were assessed as moderators of the transition probabilities. A three-class solution was found for violence exposure: decreasing parental violence/increasing community violence (n = 103; 6.4 percent), stable high parental violence and low community violence (n = 1,027; 63.7 percent), and increasing parental violence and stable high community violence (n = 481; 29.8 percent). Similarly, a three-class solution was found for high school bullying: high bullying perpetration and high victimization class (n = 259; 16 percent), victimization only (n = 1145; 71 percent), and low all class (n = 207; 13 percent). The largest proportion of youth transitioning into the high bullying and high victimization class were from the decreasing parental violence/increasing community violence. Depression, impulsivity, school belonging, and delinquency all had various moderating effects on transition probabilities. These findings make it apparent that early forms of parental and community violence are associated with aggressive behaviors and experiences with victimization during high school. Prevention and intervention efforts should target individuals who display early and chronic patterns of exposure to violence, since these individuals have the greatest risk of later aggressive and victimization in high school. (publisher abstract modified)