Prevalence, Relationships and Patterns of Reactive Versus Proactive Violence Behavior in Different Forms of Adolescent Violence

One of the most accepted definitions of violence is based on the motivations underlying the behavior, differentiating between reactive and proactive violence. Furthermore, violence manifest across various contexts and interpersonal relationships. Our objectives were to explore different forms of adolescent violence (child-to-parent violence, peer violence and dating violence), examining their interrelationships and the predictive capacity of the reactive and proactive behavioral pattern in the different types of violence. The sample consisted of 2,124 adolescents (57.9% girls) aged between 13 and 17 years from educational centers located in various provinces of Spain. Participants completed the Child-to-parent Violence Questionnaire, Adolescents’ version (CPV-Q), the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Peer Violence at School and in Leisure (CEVEO), the Dating Violence Questionnaire for Victimization and Perpetration (DVQ-VP) and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ). Our results revealed that the three types of violence are interrelated and that the predictive capacity of the reactive and proactive behavioral pattern depends on the type of violence analyzed. Regarding the practical implications, our data highlight the need to detect and prevent the generalization of adolescent violence. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of exploring the motivations underlying violence, as this may be key to improving prevention and intervention programs for violent adolescents. Child-to-parent violence, peer violence and dating violence are interrelated. The predictive capacity of the reactive and proactive behavioral pattern depends on the type of violence analyzed. Most of the adolescents committed generalized violence, that is, child-to-parent violence and other types of violence. The proactive behavioral pattern is a stronger predictor of generalized violence than the reactive pattern.