A Developmental Cascade of Risk Factors Leading to
Aggressive Behaviors Among Youth in Flint, MI
OVERVIEW
Previous research has found associations among
socioeconomic status, exposure, and aggressive
behaviors; however, the mechanism is unclear, and this
study proposes two possible frameworks:
● Cascade model (Romero et al., 2015):
● Social-cognitive information processing model:
○ Social situations and social behaviors may account
for the association, over time, between the
individual, environmental risk factors, and
aggressive behavior (Boxer et al., 2005)
The current study uses a prospective longitudinal
design to examine these variables in Flint, MI.
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What are the longitudinal associations among
socioeconomic status, exposure to violence,
aggressive fantasies, and aggressive behavior?
Is there a developmental cascade from socioeconomic
status to later exposure to violence, aggressive
fantasies, and aggressive behavior?
HYPOTHESES
Lower socioeconomic status leads to later exposure to
violence, which leads to later aggressive fantasies.
Exposure to higher levels of risk factors, such as
poverty, exposure to violence, and aggressive
fantasies, in Waves 1 through 3 would be correlated
with higher levels of aggressive behavior in Wave 4.
Authors: Caitlyn Jacobs & Claire Chen
Acknowledgments: Dr. Rowell Huesmann, Dr. Eric Dubow, Dr. Meagan Docherty, Matthew Morley
METHODS DISCUSSION
A sample of 426 (126 2nd grade, 173 4th grade, 127 9th The current study found that greater exposure to
grade at baseline) youth in Flint, MI. violence leads to aggressive behavior, suggesting
Parent and youth reports across 4 waves in 2007, 08, possible contagion effects:
09, and 2017, ages 7-25. ● Aggressive fantasies as one possible mechanism
Face-to-face or phone interviews, roughly 1 hour each Strengths of the study:
● Prospective longitudinal design- look at changes in
Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4 behavior, establish temporal ordering
Controls: Parent report of Youth report of Youth Youth ● Multiple informants- parent, teacher, and youth
gender education, school violence report of report of
and race employment, and exposure; aggressive aggressive Some limitations in the study:
income Parent report fantasies behavior ● Exposure to violence does not necessarily cause
of violent
behavior aggressive behavior- correlation does not equal
causation
● Original sample declined throughout waves- loss of
power, generalizability
RESULTS Future directions: re-test hypotheses with wave 5 data
after data collection is completed
We ran a series of regression models using variables in
one wave to predict outcomes at a later wave.
Parent education at Wave 1 predicts neighborhood REFERENCES
violence exposure at Wave 2.
Neighborhood and school violence exposure at Wave 2 Boxer, P., Goldstein, S., Musher-Eizenman, D.,
predicts aggressive fantasies at Wave 3. Dubow, E., & Heretick, D. (2005). Developmental
Parent violence at Wave 2 and aggressive fantasies at issues in school-based aggression prevention
Wave 3 predict aggressive behavior at Wave 4 from a social-cognitive perspective. Journal of
Primary Prevention, 26(5), 383-400.
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Romero, E., Richards, M. H., Harrison, P. R.,
Garbarino, J., & Mozley, M. (2015). The role of
neighborhood in the development of aggression
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