The Longitudinal Associations Between Peer Victimization And Achievement,Problem Behaviors In Early Adolescence: Moderating Role Of Number Of Friends

Peer victimization is the experience of being a target of peers' aggressive behaviors,in forms of physical,verbal,and relational abuse,and property infringement.Peer victimization is prevalent among adolescents.The victimized adolescents are at risk of the development of a variety of adjustment problems.Studies have shown that victimized adolescents appear to have more academic adjustment problems than their non-victimized age mates.Additionally,victimized adolescents suffer more psychosocial problems.Specifically,peer victimization may disturb adolescents learning,which leads to poor academic achievement.Peer victimization also bring interpersonal stress,which lead to depression and aggression.Extant studies offered evidence that peer victimization contributes to the maladjustment,while neglected the possible influence of the opposite direction.To fill up the gaps,we use longitudinal design to investigate the relations of both directions between peer victimization on the one hand and academic achievement,depression,aggression on the other hand.This study allows an examination of the extent to which each kind of adjustment problems is more strongly linked to changes in adolescents' exposure to victimization over time.Friendship is found to be a protective factor for development of early adolescents,but few research put attention on whether the number of friends,one indicator of adolescents' friendship,can play a protective role on the association between peer victimization and maladjustment.Furthermore,cross-sectional studies have uncovered a host of the mechanisms underlying the relation between victimization and maladjustment,which highlighted the importance of further clarification of longitudinal research.In summary,we examined whether the number of friends would moderate the effect of adolescents' victimization on maladjustment or the effect of the opposite direction.To address above issues,1,446 adolescents from middle school in Jinan participated in this study,who have been assessed twice with an interval of one year.The Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale(MPVS),Children's Depression Inventory(CDI)were respectively used to collect data on peer victimization and depression.In addition,we use peer nomination method to measure the number of friends and aggressive behavior.Adolescents' final exam scores were obtained from the school record,as index of academic achievement.The results were as follows:1.Peer victimization was negatively correlated with academic achievement significantly,and was positively correlated significantly with aggression and depression;2.Depression(or aggression)significantly predicted peer victimization,with controlling for peer victimization at T1.However,peer victimization could not predict changes in academic achievement,depression or aggression3.When to examine academic achievement,depression,and aggression in the same model in order to exploring the unique relationship with peer victimization,T1 depression had a unique predictive effect on T2 peer victimization.4.Number of friends moderated the effects of aggression on peer victimization:A big number of friends could relieved the positive effects of aggression on peer victimization.Number of friends also moderated the effects of depression on peer victimization,such that a big number of friends could relieved the positive effects of depression on peer victimization.5.We examined academic achievement,depression and aggression in the same model to explore the moderating effects of friends.The results showed friends moderated the effects of depression(or aggression)on peer victimization,indicating the robustness of the moderating effect.