1. The Role of Victimization by Peers in Aggressive Behavior
Among Youths With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Introduction
• Approximately 50% of youths with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) engage in
aggressive behavior toward other individuals, including caregivers and peers (Kanne &
Mazurek, 2011).
• Research suggests that the severity of autistic symptoms (e.g., social and
communication deficits, repetitive behaviors) may be linked with aggressive behavior in
youths with ASD (Dominick et al., 2007; Murphy et al., 2009).
• Research has also shown that youths with ASD are more likely than neurotypical
youths to be victimized by peers. This may be due to the fact that autistic symptoms
often include social skill deficits and inappropriate behaviors.
• Victimization by peers has also been linked with aggressive behavior in youths with
ASD (Reiffe et al., 2012). Although youths with ASD are more likely than neurotypical
youth to respond aggressively to provocation from peers (Sreckovic et al., 2014), it is not
clear whether victimization by peers mediates the relation of autistic symptoms to
reactive (i.e., provoked) or proactive (i.e., unprovoked) aggression in youths with ASD.
• The present study examined victimization by peers as a mediator of the relation
between autistic symptoms (specifically, repetitive behaviors) and aggressive behavior in
youths with ASD. This mediational model was tested for both reactive and proactive
aggressive behaviors.
Method
Participants
• Participants included youths (11-17 years of age, N =120) who were diagnosed with
ASD, and their caregivers.
• Diagnoses were confirmed by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule or Autism
Diagnostic Interview
• Youth mean age = 14.2 (SD = 2.1)
• 77.5% were males (N = 93)
Procedures
• Youths and caregivers were recruited from a center for autism and
neurodevelopmental disorders in a medium-sized Midwestern city.
• Youths and caregivers completed a battery of measures to assess youth aggressive
behaviors, severity of autistic symptoms, and victimization by peers.
Measures
Completed by caregivers:
• Children’s Scale for Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive
• Repetitive Behavior Scale – Revised
Completed by youths:
• Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale
Analyses:
Linear regressions were performed to examine the extent to which
1) Repetitive behaviors predicted youth reactive or proactive aggression
2) Repetitive behaviors predicted victimization by peers
3) Peer victimization predicted youth reactive or proactive aggression
The Sobel Test for partial mediation was then performed to examine if the relation
between autistic symptoms and aggressive behavior was significantly attenuated by
victimization by peers.
Results
Regression Analyses
Conclusions
• The results indicated that victimization by peers mediated the
relation between autistic symptoms and proactive aggression in
youths with ASD. There was no support for a model in which
victimization by peers mediated the relation between autistic
symptoms and reactive aggression.
• Previous research (Rieffe et al., 2012) has suggested that
aggression toward peers in youths with ASD is predominantly
reactive, such that youths with ASD who are victimized by peers
are likely to respond with anger and engage in aggressive acts
toward peers. The present findings suggest that victimization by
peers is linked with proactive but not reactive aggression. It is
possible that other factors, such as hostile attributional biases or
problems with perspective taking, may drive reactive aggression in
youths with ASD (Dodge et al., 1990 ).
• The findings in the present study may inform treatment efforts
aimed at reducing aggression in this clinical population of youths.
These treatments should consider that victimization by peers could
lead to proactive rather than reactive aggression. Thus,
interventions that directly target victimization by peers may be
needed to reduce aggressive behaviors in youths with ASD.
References
Dodge, K.A., Price, J..M., Bachorowski, J., Newman, J.P. (1990). Hostile attributional
biases in severely aggressive adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99,
385-392.
Dominick, K.C., Davis, N.O., Lainhart, J., Tager-Flusberg, H., & Eolstein, S. (2007).
Atypical behaviors in children with autism and children with a history of language I
mpairment. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 28, 145-162.
Kanne, S. M., & Mazurek, M. O. (2011). Aggression in children and adolescents with
ASD: Prevalence and risk factors. Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders, 41, 926-937.
Murphy, O., Healy, O., & Leader, G. (2009). Risk factors for challenging behaviors
among 157 children with autism spectrum disorder in Ireland. Research in Autism
Spectrum Disorders, 3, 474-482.
Preacher, K.J., & Leonardelli, G.J. (2001). Calulation for the Sobel test. Retrieved April
2016.
Rieffe, C., Camodeca, M., Pouw, L. B., Lange, A. M., & Stockmann, L. (2012). Don't
anger me! Bullying, victimization, and emotion dysregulation in young adolescents
with ASD. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9, 351-370.
Sreckovic, M.A., Brunsting, N.C., & Able, H. (2014). Victimization of students with
autism spectrum disorder: A review of prevalence and risk factors. Research in
Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8, 1155-1172.
Autistic
Symptoms
Proactive
Aggression
Victimization
by peers
Michael L. Halford, Cynthia E. Brown, & Charles M. Borduin, Ph.D.
University of Missouri
Predictor
Variable
Predicted
Variable
r B SE p
Autistic
Symptoms
Victimization
by peers
.24 .011 .043 .009
Victimization
by peers
Proactive
Aggression
.24 1.016 .377 .008
Autistic
Symptoms
Proactive
Aggression
.48 .096 .163 .001
Victimization
by peers
Reactive
Aggression
. 08 .27 .308 .371
Autistic
Symptoms
Reactive
Aggression
.16 .216 .116 .143
• Autistic symptoms significantly predicted peer victimization
and proactive aggression but not reactive aggression.
• Peer victimization also predicted proactive aggression but not
reactive aggression.
• The Sobel Test revealed that the relation between autistic
symptoms and proactive aggression was significantly mediated
by peer victimization ( p < .05).