Victimization and Somatic Problems: The Role of Class Victimization Levels

Abstract

BACKGROUND:The link between peer victimization and somatic problems is well-established. What is currently understudied is under what contextual conditions victims' health might be most likely to be compromised. Studies demonstrate that victims suffer from poorer adjustment when they belong to a group in which victimization is less normative (social misfit hypothesis). We examined whether the association between individual victimization and somatic problems was stronger in classrooms with lower class victimization. METHODS:A sample of 1906 adolescents (65% girls; M age = 14.4, SD = 1.2) completed a survey about school life quality, peer victimization, and health problems. RESULTS:Multilevel modeling with Bayes estimator indicated modest variation in somatic problems between classrooms. At the individual level, peer victimization was associated with higher reports of somatic problems. This association varied across classroom as a function of class victimization level. Simple slope computation confirmed that the association between peer victimization and somatic complaints became stronger as class victimization levels decreased. CONCLUSIONS:Victims in classrooms with lower levels of victimization are more likely to report somatic problems.Anti-bullying programs should consider the effects of class norms on victims' adjustment and address the possible risks for those who continue to be victimized.

Navigating the Healthy Context Paradox: Identifying Classroom Characteristics that Improve the Psychological Adjustment of Bullying Victims

“…The second contribution of the study is the replication of the healthy context paradox among non-European adolescents, specifically in the South Korean middle school context. Consistent with previous results for Dutch, Finnish, and Italian youth (i.e., Garandeau et al 2018;Gini et al 2020;Huitsing et al 2012Huitsing et al , 2019Kaufman et al 2018), victimization-related distress was heightened in classrooms with a lower level of peer victimization. Because victims in a classroom with a lower level of victimization are less likely to have peers with similar victimization experiences (e.g., Schacter and Juvonen 2018), they might be more likely to believe that the causes of their mistreatment are internal, stable, and uncontrollable (i.e., characterological self-blame; Graham and Juvonen 1998;Weiner 1986).…”

“…That is, students who experienced bullying in classrooms or schools with a low level of peer victimization and high centralization of victimization (i.e., only a few individuals are perceived as victims) felt more depressed, on average, than their counterparts in classrooms with higher levels of victimization and lower levels of centralization (Garandeau et al 2018;Huitsing et al 2012Huitsing et al , 2019. Similarly, non-intervention studies comparing victimized students have found that those in classrooms with lower levels of victimization are more likely to report somatic problems (Gini et al 2020).…”

The Role of Defending Norms in Victims’ Classroom Climate Perceptions and Psychosocial Maladjustment in Secondary School

“…For example, among 10to 12-year-olds, victims had lower self-esteem and more depressive symptoms in classrooms with lower victimization rates (Huitsing et al 2012). In another study, victimized adolescents experienced more somatic problems in classrooms with lower victimization rates (Gini et al 2020). In a daily diary study, the impact of verbal victimization on children's negative self-views was larger in classrooms with less aggression (Morrow et al 2019).…”

Can Healthier Contexts Be Harmful? A New Perspective on the Plight of Victims of Bullying

“…The fact that some victimized children do not benefit from positive changes in their environment is very concerning. However, recent findings suggest that their situation might be even more problematic: Could improved school contexts actually worsen the plight of victimized children by increasing their adjustment difficulties (Garandeau, Lee, & Salmivalli, 2018;Gini, Holt, Pozzoli, & Marino, 2019;Huitsing et al, 2018;Huitsing, Veenstra, Sainio, & Salmivalli, 2012;Sentse, Scholte, Salmivalli, & Voeten, 2007)? In this article, we aim to raise awareness of the possibility of a healthy context paradox, as it has been referred to recently (Huitsing et al, 2018;Salmivalli, 2018).…”