Search

Peer victimization (PV) is a common and serious problem in school contexts, which hinders adolescents' emotional development and social adaptation. The present study aimed to test the longitudinal relationship between PV and the increase of depressive symptoms (DSs) among Chinese mid-late adolescents using a two-wave longitudinal design and examine the buffering effects of self-compassion (SC) and parental autonomy support (PAS) on this relationship. A relatively large sample of Chinese high school students (N = 722, 52.1% boys; age at Time 2 = 16.23 years old, SD = 0.79) were surveyed annually at two time points. The results showed that PV at Time 1 positively predicted DSs at Time 2 after controlling for the DSs at Time 1. In addition, SC and PAS moderated the longitudinal relationship between PV and the development of DSs, while such moderating effects only existed in girls but not in boys. Specifically, the positive relationship between PV and DSs was non-significant among girls with higher levels of SC or PAS. Our findings highlighted that SC and PAS might be important protective factors buffering against DSs for victimized girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether varying dimensions of teacher-child relationship quality and gender moderated associations between knowledge of negative emotion-eliciting situations and peer victimization among Black preschoolers (60 boys, 54 girls) who ranged in age from 35 to 65 months. Fifty-one children had a Black teacher, 46 had a White teacher, and 17 had a Latine teacher. All teachers were female. Knowledge of negative emotion-eliciting situations was assessed directly in the fall. Lead teachers reported on teacher-child relationship quality between September and December. A second teacher completed peer victimization ratings in the spring of the following year. When teacher-child closeness was high, there was a positive association between knowledge of negative emotion-eliciting situations and physical victimization, but a negative association emerged when teacher-child closeness was low. In accord with the victim schema model that undergirded this study, knowledge of negative emotion-eliciting situations was negatively related to physical victimization for children who experienced high teacher-child conflict and dependency. Black teachers perceived more relational victimization. Our findings highlight the need for further examination of peer victimization among young Black children and suggest that identifying the individual and ecological correlates of peer victimization should be a priority for school psychologists working in early educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bias-based (also called identity-based) harassment refers specifically to a subset of peer victimization that targets a person's identity, such as their gender identity, religion, immigration status, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity. Research indicates that bias-based harassment is a particularly devastating form of victimization that has an even stronger association with poor mental health and school functioning than general forms of bullying and harassment that do not target identity characteristics. In the current study, we used the AmeriSpeak Teen Panel, a US nationally representative panel of youth ages 13–17, to examine the prevalence and predictors of bias-based harassment. Youth (N = 639) completed a self-report survey about their experiences with victimization and perpetration of bias-based harassment. A series of regression models tested the association of individual youth demographic characteristics with reports of bias-based harassment victimization and perpetration. Overall, 28.2% of youth reported experiences of bias-based victimization, and 12.4% reported bias-based perpetration. Bias-based harassment most often targeted students' race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Results have implications for school-based prevention and intervention planning to address bias-based harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to assess the rates of peer bullying and stress-coping strategies in adolescents with SAD and to investigate the relationship between SAD and different types of peer bullying. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included ninety-two adolescents aged 14 to 17 years with SAD and one hundred-five typically developing adolescents. A semi-structured psychiatric interview, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), the Peer Bullying Scale-Adolescent Form (PBS-AF), and the Coping Scale for Adolescents (CSA) were applied to all participants. Peer bullying was classified into six types (physical, verbal, exclusion, spreading rumors, attacks against property, and sexual) and two roles (bullying and victimization). Results: On every subscale of the PBS-AF victimization dimension, the SAD group's mean scores were significantly higher than those of the controls. Regarding the PBSAF bullying dimension, the Physical Bullying and Sexual Bullying scores of the SAD group were significantly lower than the control group, but the Isolation/Exclusion scores were significantly higher than the control group. Compared to the control group, the mean scores of Active Coping of CSA were significantly lower, while the mean scores of Negative Coping and Avoidant Coping were significantly higher in the SAD group. The SAS-A's total score had a significant positive correlation with all subscales of the PBS-AF victimization dimension. Age, gender, academic performance, and psychiatric comorbidity had a predictive effect on some of the victimization dimension variables of peer bullying. Conclusion: This study has revealed that SAD is an important risk factor for peer victimization. The routine psychiatric examination of adolescents with SAD should also include a screening for peer bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-academic norms have proven to affect the educational strategies of adolescents. The determinants related to the experience of anti-academic norms and especially its link to ethnic inequality within the educational system have not received sufficient attention in European educational research. Hence, this study examines which students perceive anti-academic norms by investigating the role of students' ethnic group categorization, their experiences with (non-) ethnic discrimination, and the role of ethnic belonging. A quantitative analysis of 2,728 students from 45 secondary schools in Flanders showed that majority students perceive more anti-academic norms than students who are descendants from labor migrants. Both ethnic and non-ethnically discriminated students experience more anti-academic norms compared to non-discriminated students. Overall, students' ethnic identity belonging is a promotive factor and thus associated with lower anti-academic norms. Furthermore, the results also indicate that students from both high and low status ability groups (tracks) are more at risk of perceiving anti-academic norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peer victimization (PV) is one of the major causes of non-suicidal self-injury. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), peer victimization, social anxiety, and mobile phone addiction are significantly related; however, the interaction mechanism and effect of sex differences remain to be determined. Objective: Herein, we investigated the relationship between peer victimization and NSSI among Chinese high school students. We also explored the chain mediating roles of social anxiety and mobile phone addiction and the regulatory role of sex. The findings of this study provide insights for theoretical interventions based on internal mechanisms. Method: A self-reported survey of 14,666 high school students from Sichuan County was conducted using a peer victimization scale, NSSI scale, social anxiety scale, and mobile phone addiction scale. A self-administered questionnaire was used to capture sociodemographic information. Results: Peer victimization, social anxiety, and mobile phone addiction were positively correlated with NSSI. Peer victimization had significant direct predictive effects on NSSI (95% CI: 0.341, 0.385) and significant indirect predictive effects on NSSI through social anxiety (95% CI: 0.008, 0.019) or mobile phone addiction (95% CI: 0.036, 0.053). Peer victimization had significant indirect predictive effects on NSSI through social anxiety as well as mobile phone addiction (95% CI: 0.009, 0.014). The first stage (predicting the effect of peer victimization on NSSI) and the third stage (predicting the effect of mobile phone addiction on NSSI) were both moderated by sex. Conclusions: Peer victimization could directly predict NSSI and indirectly predict NSSI through social anxiety and mobile phone addiction. Thus, social anxiety and mobile phone addiction exhibited chain mediating effects between peer victimization and NSSI in high school students; moreover, sex might be involved in the regulation of the mediation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]