Popularity Among Peer Role Models: A Moderator of Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

This short-term, longitudinal study examines evidence that the level of popularity among adolescents’ peer role models exacerbates the emotional impact of mistreatment by peers. We recruited 469 adolescents (255 boys, 214 girls; [Formula: see text] age = 12.7 years) from an ethnically diverse middle school and followed these youth for a 1-year period. We collected identical measurement batteries in two consecutive waves. Participants completed a self-report assessment of depressive symptoms, as well as a peer-nomination inventory identifying victimized and popular classmates. The inventory also included items asking adolescents to identify peers they want to be like, respect, and admire. High popularity levels among peer role models were associated with intensified associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms. However, these findings held only for boys. Taken together, these results suggest that victimization by peers is most detrimental for adolescent boys who seek to identify with their more socially dominant classmates.

The Influence of Various Role Models on Children’s Pro-environmental Behaviours

“…However, the prosocial effects of peer modelling on children may be weak or even non-existent because children aged 7–13 are less dependent on peers ( Lin, 2018 ). Nevertheless, we examined the possibility that behaviours modelled by peers also affect children, because studies have shown that children’s behaviours at this stage are influenced by peers to a certain extent ( Carr et al, 2016 ; van Hoorn et al, 2016 ; Lease et al, 2020 ; Luo et al, 2020 ; Chung et al, 2021 ; Nenniger and Müller, 2021 ).…”