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Authors: Flavio Marsiglia (Arizona State University), Stephen Kulis (Arizona State University), Sun-Kyung Lee (Arizona State University)
Background: Exposure to violence in various forms is a common developmental risk for adolescents. Youth who witness, experience, and perpetrate violence are at high risk for maladaptive behavioral outcomes, including substance use, externalizing behaviors, and delinquency. This study examines the dynamic interplay among different types of violence exposure in an urban sample of adolescents in Mexico, one that is frequently exposed to violence across home, school, and community settings. We show how the different forms of violence—witnessing, perpetration, and victimization—manifest in combination in the adolescents' lives, and explore predictors of each pattern.
Methods: Data come from 5,442 seventh-grade students drawn from a stratified probability sample of 36 public middle schools in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Students completed questionnaires that assessed the frequency of witnessing violence (e.g., physical violence, police enforcement), personally perpetrating violence (e.g., physical aggression, bullying, emotional abuse), and victimization (e.g., physical and emotional abuse), with 15 items for each type. We derived distinct patterns of violence exposure using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) and identified individual and parental psychosocial factors associated with each profile.
Results: Four profiles emerged: (1) Minimal involvement in all forms of violence (77%), (2) Simultaneous perpetrators and victims (11%), (3) Witnessing violence only (10%), and (4) High involvement in all forms of violence (2%). Girls, youth with lower levels of depression, and less parent–child conflict were more likely to belong to the minimal involvement group. Older youth were more likely to belong to the group only witnessing violence. High-involvement youth reported lower parental monitoring and greater substance use intentions.
Discussion: Findings highlight distinct violence exposure patterns and associated psychosocial risks. Prevention efforts could be tailored to address multiple forms of violence and target salient family factors such as parental monitoring. Future research should track how violence profiles evolve throughout adolescence.
| Conflict of interest | The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. |
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