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The healthy context paradox indicates that in "healthy" contexts, with lower bullying or victimization norms, victimization experiences would unexpectedly exacerbate adolescents' adjustment difficulties, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, particularly from the clique perspective. The current 2-year longitudinal multilevel study attempts to examine the conditional effects of both clique structure (i.e., status hierarchy) and clique norms (i.e., aggression norms) on the relationship between individual victimization and aggressive behavior. The sample consisted of 691 Chinese junior high school students (Mage = 12.74, SD = 0.43; 55.6% boys), who were identified to belong to 153 cliques with sizes varying from 3 to 12 students (Msize = 5.08, SD = 1.89), according to the social cognitive map. Participants completed peer-nominated measures at two time points, two years apart. The multilevel models revealed that it was in less hierarchical cliques with lower aggression that victimized adolescents would exhibit more relational forms of aggression (rather than overt forms) two years later. More intriguingly, contrary results were found in all-girls cliques and all-boys cliques. Specifically, victimized girls' overt and relational aggression was higher in cliques with less hierarchy and lower aggression, whereas, in cliques with more hierarchy and higher aggression, victimized boys' relational aggression was higher, which conforms to the healthy context paradox and the peer contagion hypothesis, respectively. These findings highlight that egalitarian cliques with low aggression would promote aggressive behavior of victimized adolescents, especially for girls rather than for boys, which in turn has crucial implications for anti-bullying interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This three-wave longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether the relationship between self-control and academic achievement, through mastery goals, was conditional on the nature of the teacher-student relationships. A total of 852 junior school students in China completed questionnaires about self-control, mastery goals, and teacher-student relationships. Academic achievement was obtained from the school. The analyses of moderated mediation effects based on structural equation modeling showed that teacher-student emotional conflict increased the negative effect of students' low self-control on academic achievement via mastery goals, whereas teacher-student emotional support failed to moderate this link. Thus, both mediating and moderating effects exist in the association between self-control and adolescents' academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bullying victimization has been linked to an elevated risk of both internalizing and externalizing problems, yet the mechanisms underlying these associations, especially from the perspective of naturally occurring informal cliques, are not well understood. Based on two contrasting hypotheses from the healthy context paradox and the peer contagion hypothesis, the current 2-year longitudinal study (a) investigated the interaction effects of individual victimization (i.e., physical, verbal, and relational forms) and clique victimization norms on their reactive-proactive aggression and (b) examined whether they were distinct to these effects on depressive symptoms. Both self-reported and peer-nominated surveys were administrated to 691 junior high school students (55.6% boys; M age = 12.74, SD = 0.43 years) who were identified from 153 cliques (M size = 5.08, SD = 1.89) using a social cognitive map, at two time points 2 years apart. Multilevel modeling indicated that both physical and relational victims (except verbal victims) at baseline committed more reactive forms of aggression (not proactive forms) in cliques with lower victimization norms 2 years later. Similarly, physical victims in lower-victimization cliques reported more depressive symptoms 2 years later. Additionally, these significant results were found in self-reported forms of victimization, but not peer-nominated forms. These findings confirm the healthy context paradox in both individual internalizing and externalizing problems in clique contexts, and elaborate this paradox on different forms of victimization, which provide a more nuanced understanding and have important implications in the field of anti-bullying interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study examined the link between peer victimization and relational aggression by testing the mediating roles of sadness and anger rumination, with attention to gender differences, among Chinese adolescents. Survey measures were administrated to 2,152 junior middle school students at two time points, one year apart. The results found that self-reported peer victimization (but not peer-nominated victimization) positively predicted relational aggression one year later, and this link was completely mediated by sadness and anger rumination. Specifically, perceived peer victimization exerted a positive influence on both sadness and anger rumination, thereby increasing adolescents' tendency to exhibit relational aggression one year later. Furthermore, victimized boys' elevated relational aggression was predominantly accounted for by their high sadness rumination, whereas victimized girls' elevated relational aggression was mainly due to their great anger rumination. Such a gender-difference suggests that interventions to reduce adolescents' externalizing problems may be most effective when tailored to each gender specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current three-wave longitudinal study investigated whether peer victimization would activate adolescents' rumination and rejection sensitivity, and therefore exacerbate subsequent loneliness. Surveys were administered to adolescents across three measurements, one year apart. Eight hundred and fifty-seven Chinese adolescents (56.62% males; Mage = 14.73, SD = 0.43) completed self-reported and peer-nominated measures of victimization, rumination, rejection sensitivity and loneliness. Results revealed that self-reported, but not peer-nominated victimization at baseline directly predicted adolescent loneliness one year later. Moreover, both rumination and rejection sensitivity exerted mediating effects on the relationship between self-reported victimization and loneliness. Additionally, this parallel mediation model was robust across gender. These findings suggest that self-perceived peer victimization would increase Chinese adolescents' loneliness since they employ rumination and rejection sensitivity to cope with peer victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal cross-lagged research attempts to examine the directions of relations between Internet addiction and both internalizing and externalizing problems, with attention to the potential moderating effects of peer relationships and gender. 897 Chinese junior middle school students (56.97% boys, M age = 12.73 years, SD = 0.42) completed self-reported Internet addiction, depressive symptoms, and peer-nominated aggressive behavior at two time points, one year apart, as well as self-reported friend support/conflict and positive/delinquent peers at baseline. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that adolescents' Internet addiction would elevate both depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior over time, rather than vice versa. Furthermore, friend conflict (rather than support) moderated these unidirectional relationships that when individuals perceived lower friend conflict, these links were no longer significant. Moreover, similar results were found for adolescents who possessed more positive peers or fewer delinquent peers. In addition, gender differences were found that addicted boys were more vulnerable to aggressive behavior, while addicted girls were more vulnerable to depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that establishing and maintaining good peer social networks would help adolescents keep away from the harmful impacts of Internet overuse on maladjustment. • Adolescents' Internet addiction would elevate both depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior over time, but not vice versa. • Peer relationships played salutary roles in the effects of Internet addiction on internalizing and externalizing problems. • Higher friend conflict would make addicted adolescents more vulnerable to internalizing and externalizing problems. • Affiliation with more positive peers or less delinquent peers protected addicted adolescents from aggressive behavior. • Due to overindulge in the Internet, boys were prone to aggression, whereas girls were prone to depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]