Assessing aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: can we do it better?

Psychol Assess. 2005 Dec;17(4):469-75. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.17.4.469.

Abstract

Almost all research on aggression in adolescent romantic relationships makes use of 1-time, retrospective assessment methods. In the present research, the authors compared data on the experience of adolescent relationship aggression (physical aggression and threatening behavior) collected from 125 high school students via 2 methods: (a) a 1-time, 2-month retrospective assessment and (b) a cumulative method based on four 2-week retrospective assessments, each spaced 2 weeks apart. For the cumulative method, data from the 4 assessments were aggregated to cover the same time period as the single, 2-month retrospective assessment. A greater proportion of the sample (48.0%) reported experiencing physical aggression using the cumulative method compared with the single, 2-month retrospective method (27.0%). The prevalence of threatening behavior was also higher using the cumulative method (48.8% vs. 24.8%). Adolescent trauma and anxiety symptoms correlated more strongly with physical aggression data derived from the cumulative method than from the 1-time assessment method.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Aggression / psychology*
  • Anxiety / diagnosis
  • Anxiety / psychology
  • Courtship / psychology*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Interview, Psychological / methods
  • Male
  • Psychology, Adolescent / methods
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sex Factors
  • Time Factors
  • Violence / psychology*
  • Violence / statistics & numerical data*