Relationship continuity and social learning theories provide support for parent-to-child aggression as one potential explanatory factor for dating abuse (DA); however, empirical results are mixed across studies as to the strength of this association. This meta-analysis sought to estimate the overall size of this effect among adolescent and young adult samples and investigate potential moderating factors including sample and measurement variables. Records were identified using a computerized search of databases with several keywords. Peer-reviewed journal articles and dissertations were included if they measured both parent-to-child aggression and DA perpetration and/or victimization among adolescents (aged 12–18) or young adults (aged 18–29). Sixty-six records met inclusion criteria, yielding 370 unique effect sizes for the relation between parent-to-child aggression and DA across 94 unique samples. As hypothesized, there was a small-to-medium effect size between parent-to-child aggression and subsequent DA during both adolescence and young adulthood. The strength of these findings was consistent across DA outcome (perpetration and victimization) and both physical and psychological forms, youth and parent gender, and youth age. Stronger associations were found when the gender of the parental aggressor was undefined compared to either a defined paternal or maternal aggressor. Records using the Conflict Tactics Scale to measure both parent-to-child aggression and DA yielded stronger associations compared to sources that used different measures, but single informant versus multiple informants did not yield any differences.
The BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Student Form (BESS SF) is the latest iteration of a widely used instrument for identifying students at behavioral and emotional risk. Measurement invariance across race/ethnicity and gender for the latest BESS SF has not yet been established. Using a sample of 737 urban fourth- to eighth-grade students, we tested competing models of the BESS SF to determine the best-fitting factor structure. We also tested for measurement equivalence by race/ethnicity (i.e., White, Black, Latinx) and gender (i.e., boys, girls). Consistent with prior findings, we identified that a bifactor structure of the BESS SF best fit the data and supported measurement equivalence across race/ethnicity and gender. These findings provide further support for using the BESS SF to conduct universal behavioral and emotional screening among diverse students. More research is needed in schools serving students with greater racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity.
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