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.

MethodParticipants• 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.

MeasuresCompleted 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 which1) Repetitive behaviors predicted youth reactive or proactive aggression2) Repetitive behaviors predicted victimization by peers3) 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.

ReferencesDodge, 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 Impairment. 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.

AutisticSymptoms

ProactiveAggression

Victimization by peers

Michael L. Halford, Cynthia E. Brown, & Charles M. Borduin, Ph.D.University of Missouri

Predictor Variable

PredictedVariable

r B SE p

AutisticSymptoms

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).