Peer victimization and social‐emotional outcomes: The role of teacher and peer support

Abstract

The relation between peer victimization, risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, and school-based sources of social support for students in elementary and middle school were examined. Participants included 656 students in third to eighth grade from one school district. Results indicated that peer support mediated the relation between peer victimization and risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, but teacher support did not mediate this relation. Conditional indirect effects analyses revealed that the indirect effect of peer support varied as a function of school level (i.e., intermediate and middle school). The implications and limitations of the current study are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

Toward an Integrated Model of Supportive Peer Relationships in Early Adolescence: A Systematic Review and Exploratory Meta-Analysis

“…Further, in line with victimization as an important component of the peer environmental plane as discussed below, longitudinal results stipulate a role of victimization in both short-lived and persistent internalizing symptoms (Zwierzynska et al, 2013;Brendgen and Poulin, 2018) linked to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts (Brunstein Klomek et al, 2019;Hinduja and Patchin, 2019). Conversely, SPR have a protective role in the relationship between the negative mental health outcomes of victimization and suicidal ideation (Jenkins et al, 2018). Hence, SPR may act as a protective factor against internalizing symptoms via the already discussed influence on core blocks (e.g., Eisenberg et al, 2005).…”

Perceived Family and Friend Support Moderate Pathways From Peer Victimization to Substance Use in Early-Adolescent Girls and Boys: A Moderated-Mediation Analysis

“…Friend support has been shown to exert stronger physiological stress buffering effects relative to parental support, especially when other peers are the source of stress (Gunnar & Hostinar, 2015). Initial studies suggest that perceived friend support mitigates risk for depressive symptoms following traditional peer victimization (Attar-Schwartz, Mishna, & Khoury-Kassabri, 2019; Jenkins, Fredrick, & Wenger, 2018) and attenuates risk for substance use following social network victimization (Wright, 2016). Some, but not all, studies also find that this protective effect was enhanced among adolescent girls in comparison to boys (Attar-Schwartz et al, 2019; Hansen et al, 2012; Jenkins et al, 2018).…”

“…Initial studies suggest that perceived friend support mitigates risk for depressive symptoms following traditional peer victimization (Attar-Schwartz, Mishna, & Khoury-Kassabri, 2019; Jenkins, Fredrick, & Wenger, 2018) and attenuates risk for substance use following social network victimization (Wright, 2016). Some, but not all, studies also find that this protective effect was enhanced among adolescent girls in comparison to boys (Attar-Schwartz et al, 2019; Hansen et al, 2012; Jenkins et al, 2018). However, in contrast to the stress buffering hypothesis and socio-ecological framework, several studies have found that higher levels of perceived friend support paradoxically exacerbates risk for internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents who have experienced traditional peer victimization (Hansen et al, 2012; Hong et al, 2014).…”

The Relationship Between Victimization With Bullying and Aggression at School

“…Their results indicated a modest agreement between peers and teachers about who was involved in peer victimization [20]. The study of Jenkins et al indicated that peer support mediated the relation between peer victimization and risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties but teacher support did not mediate this relation [21]. Results of Zhou et al showed that poor sleep quality and school bullying are highly prevalent among high-school students in China [22].…”