Mediating effects of social-cognitive errors and skills for children experiencing peer relational, physical and ethnic victimization

Peer victimization has been linked concurrently and over time with multiple adjustment problems, including depression and anxiety, social withdrawal, and aggression. However, the reasons for these differential outcomes are not well understood. The current study examined individual differences in social-cognitive errors and skills (hostile attributions of peers' ambiguous intent, perspective taking, and interpersonal skills) as mediators of the relation between subtypes of peer victimization (relational, physical, and ethnic or racial discrimination) and self-rated depression and anxiety, teacher-rated withdrawal, and self- and teacher-rated aggression in late childhood. This model was tested with 336 ethnic and racial minority (Aboriginal, East and South East Asian) and European-Caucasian children in grades 6 and 7. Hostile attributions were assessed from hypothetical vignettes of relational provocations (e.g., not receiving an invitation to a party) and instrumental provocations (e.g., a valued possession was broken). Perspective taking was measured as the capacity and tendency to gain insight into peers' thoughts and feelings in conflicts. Interpersonal skills were assessed from self- and teacher-reports of success relating to peers, friendships, and social problem solving skills. Modest support for the mediation hypotheses was found. Findings indicated that similar processes account for some of the multi-finality in victimization. As expected, some specificity in the processes linking subtypes of victimization with adjustment problems was also found. Perspective taking and interpersonal skills partially mediated the association between relational victimization and self-rated depression and anxiety, and reduced to the effect of physical victimization on self-rated aggression (but not significantly). Interpersonal skills partially mediated the effect of relational victimization on teacher-rated withdrawal. Hostile instrumental attributions and interpersonal partially mediated the relation between physical victimization and teacher-rated aggression. In addition, ethnic victimization contributed to depression and anxiety, but this association did not meet the criteria for mediation. Some gender and ethnic status differences were also found. Importantly, this study contributes to understanding of the processes through which subtypes of victimization elevate risks for differential adjustment problems in late childhood. Findings suggest that programs designed to support victimized children's perspective taking and interpersonal skills may be particularly beneficial for their adjustment, regardless of the subtype of victimization experienced.