The Mediating Role of Psychological Adjustment between Peer Victimization and Social Adjustment in Adolescence

Abstract

There is extensive scientific evidence of the serious psychological and social effects that peer victimization may have on students, among them internalizing problems such as anxiety or negative self-esteem, difficulties related to low self-efficacy and lower levels of social adjustment. Although a direct relationship has been observed between victimization and these effects, it has not yet been analyzed whether there is a relationship of interdependence between all these measures of psychosocial adjustment. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between victimization and difficulties related to social adjustment among high school students. To do so, various explanatory models were tested to determine whether psychological adjustment (negative self-esteem, social anxiety and social self-efficacy) could play a mediating role in this relationship, as suggested by other studies on academic adjustment. The sample comprised 2060 Spanish high school students (47.9% girls; mean age = 14.34). The instruments used were the scale of victimization from European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire, the negative scale from Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents and a general item about social self-efficacy, all of them self-reports. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results confirmed the partial mediating role of negative self-esteem, social anxiety and social self-efficacy between peer victimization and social adjustment and highlight the importance of empowering victimized students to improve their self-esteem and self-efficacy and prevent social anxiety. Such problems lead to the avoidance of social interactions and social reinforcement, thus making it difficult for these students to achieve adequate social adjustment.

Social Comparison Orientation and Social Adaptation Among Young Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Concept

“…It includes four dimensions: self-trouble, social alienation, violations, and social withdrawal ( Zou et al, 2012 ). Previous studies have shown that social adaptation was correlated to specific internal factors such as personality traits ( Huntsinger and Jose, 2006 ) and self-concept ( Buhs, 2005 ; Romera et al, 2016 ; Lim and Lee, 2017 ; Suszek et al, 2018 ). One highly relevant personality trait would be social comparison orientation ( Yang, 2016 ), which refers to the tendency to compare oneself with others ( Gibbons and Buunk, 1999 ).…”

Bullying Victimization among Mexican Adolescents: Psychosocial Differences from an Ecological Approach

“…The frequent association of school victimization, especially in the bully victims, with conditions of disadvantage or low functionality, has led to questioning if the negative consequences on psychosocial adjustment should be attributed to the effect of bullying, or these preexistent conditions instead [ 2 ]. Anxiety negatively affects social interactions and often appears associated with low social acceptance and rejection by peers [ 17 ]. These adolescents can develop a hypersensitivity toward rejection in social interactions, which leads to very intense emotional reactions, associated with negative cognitive anticipation toward social interactions that, in turn, increase their anxiety [ 58 ].…”

“…Empirical research studies indicate that victims of bullying present low self-esteem and self-concept, academic problems, and poor social skills, which can hinder the relationships with their classmates and teachers [ 15 , 16 ]. These characteristics could be pre-existing trends that facilitate social isolation and rejection by pairs but also are a consequence of bullying, increasing the power unbalance between victims and perpetrators [ 17 ].…”

The Moderating Role of Social Identity and Grit in the Association Between Parental Control and School Adjustment in Chinese Middle School Students

“…Social identity refers to one's knowledge of membership in a social group, together with the value and emotional significance that one has attached to that group membership (Tajfel, 2010). As indicated by prior research (Romera et al, 2016), students with negative self-concept (e.g., low self-esteem and self-efficacy) are more likely to avoid social interactions and social reinforcement, thus making it difficult for them to achieve adequate adjustment at school through instances such as interacting with classmates.…”