A Within-Person Test of Mediated Pathways between Victimization, Internalizing Problems, and Antisocial Behavior in Early Adolescence.

Different theoretical models propose different orderings of victimization and internalizing problems in forming mediated pathways to antisocial behavior. The strain or stress model proposes that victimization triggers internalizing problems which in turn lead to antisocial outcomes; in contrast, the symptoms-driven model proposes that internalizing problems trigger victimization which then leads to antisocial outcomes. There have been few rigorous tests of these pathways, and it is unclear whether they differ for different antisocial outcomes (i.e., aggression versus general rule violation). The models were tested using within-person regression and five waves of survey data from 300 early adolescents. At baseline the adolescents had a mean age of 11.28 (SD = 0.50); 50% were female. Although victimization increased internalizing problems, those problems decreased rather than increased antisocial behavior; this did not support the strain model. Victimization positively predicted antisocial behavior, but the association was significant only for rule violation. In addition, victimization was not preceded by internalizing problems; this did not support the symptoms-driven model. The results support the value of within-person designs and the need to reconsider the role internalizing problems play in the development of antisocial behavior in early adolescence.